


Spellbound

by lovelarry10



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Boyfriends, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Familiars, Fluff, Halloween, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kitten Louis, Louis loves being a kitten, M/M, Magic, Oblivious Harry Styles, Oblivious Louis Tomlinson, One Shot, Pumpkins, Secret Identity, Secrets, Witch Harry Styles, shifter louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 05:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21230225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelarry10/pseuds/lovelarry10
Summary: Louis’ a shifter. Harry’s a witch. The only problem is, they’re hiding those things from each other.Will they be able to keep their secrets hidden at the most spooky time of year?





	Spellbound

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the wonderful Coco for this great prompt! You're amazing with the ideas, and you helped so much writing this, so I hope you love it as much as I do!
> 
> I've not written anything like this before, so I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know, I honestly love reading them all.
> 
> Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!
> 
> xx
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
This is a work of fiction. All characters are of my own creation and in no way reflect the beliefs and actions of those in real life. Any sexual content is consensual and legal per the consent guidelines in the United Kingdom. Please ensure you read the tags before proceeding with this story - they are there to protect you and me. If you believe anything is in any way triggering for you, please do not continue reading. 
> 
> Reposting of this work is a violation of copyright and will be reported. I also do not permit any translations of my work.

There was something that Harry loved about Autumn. The leaves were starting to fall from the trees, carpeting the pavements in layers of crispy brown, a chill was whipping around in the air and the darker evenings were setting in. Harry had stopped off at one of the out of town apothecary shops, his shopping list rammed low in the bottom of his bag out of sight of prying eyes. Only a few people in his life knew the truth about Harry, and he was determined to keep it that way. 

“Good afternoon, young Mr Styles,” Cynthia called from behind the desk, grinning slyly at him. He returned the smile and glided around the shop, his long black coat billowing behind him as he navigated the aisles of the shop, throwing all manner of things into the shopping basket nestled in the crook of his elbow. Cynthia was the head of the coven in Harry’s local area, and what she didn’t know about magic and potions wasn’t worth knowing. She was the font of all knowledge, and witches travelled for miles around to seek out her advice. She suddenly materialised next to him, and it showed how often Harry attended the shop that her actions didn’t startle him in the least. “May I help you find anything?”

“Uh…” Harry consulted the list written in his messy scrawl, realising he’d left out one important ingredient. “I need a phial of crushed heather, and one of ox blood.”

“No need to wonder what you’re brewing,” she mused, disappearing again in front of Harry’s very eyes. He chuckled to himself and looked over a shelf full of new imports, thinking for a moment about which of his potions he could add them to. “Have you had any luck with that healing potion you were trying out?”

“No,” Harry sighed, removing his hat and running his hand through his dark brown hair. “I’ve tried to brew it several times but it’s just not going my way. I don’t understand. I’ve followed what the tomes say to do, but either the colour isn’t right, or the odour is peculiar. I don’t know, I’m ready to give up I think.”

“You will not,” Cynthia admonished, glaring at Harry for a moment. “You’re one of the most talented witches I’ve seen in a long time, Harry. I will not let those skills in brewing go to waste because you are stumped by one potion. Have you asked your mother? A witch of her standing will surely be able to aid you?”

“I’m not running to my mum every time I can’t get something right. I’m a witch, Cyn. If I can’t brew successful potions, then what’s the point? This is who I am, you know?”

“I do, love. But don’t forget our magic is always a bit peculiar at this time of year. Halloween brings out the strangeness in all of us, my dear. The veil between magic and our ability to hide and control it is at its weakest as the day approaches.”

“I’m not worried about that, Cyn. I’ve never found Halloween to be a problem with my magic, nor have Mum or Gemma. Maybe we’re just lucky.”

Harry shrugged as she set a frail hand on Harry’s forearm, pressing where the muscles were strained under the weight of the basket he was carrying. The pair mosied up and down the aisles quietly for a few minutes, Harry stopping every now and then to look at some new items that had been stocked, eyeing up some with curious looks. There was a new range of wands that caught his eye too, but he left them, knowing he didn’t have the spare money at the moment when his own tools did the jobs they were needed for.

“How is your Louis?”

Harry was a little surprised at the question and turned to find the woman stood behind him again, the phials clutched in her hand, an inquisitive expression on her face. He nodded and held out the basket, watching her carefully nestle the bottles on top of the ones Harry had already procured for himself. Harry tried to push the fond smile away from his face as his thoughts drifted off to his lovely boyfriend, the man who had held his heart for the past ten months or so, but he failed miserably, well aware he had what his family called his “Louis face” on right now. 

“He’s good. Great, actually. You know, the longer I’m with him, the less I think it matters that he’s human, and not my familiar. We just really click, and he makes me so happy.”

Harry plastered a smile on his face, hoping the older woman wouldn’t see through his complete and utter lies. He had hoped that if he said it didn’t matter to him that Louis was human and not his familiar that it would be true, that he really wouldn’t care, and that they could live happily ever after. But deep down, he knew it wasn’t true. He lived in constant fear of bumping into his actual familiar, the shifter that would be destined to be his, and he’d have to leave Louis behind, a human he could never fully commit to. Still, for now, he had Louis, and he was always determined to make the most of every moment.

The woman nodded at him, dislodging her hat for a moment before she straightened it up, following Harry over to the cash desk where he laid out his items, removing them from the basket one by one and doing an inventory as he did so, making sure he had everything. 

“Well, I’m happy to hear that. He’s good for you, I think. You’ve looked happier since you’ve been with him, like you’re at peace in your world, Harry. I’m glad you didn’t let him being human get in the way of you two being happy together, dear.”

“Me too. Maybe we’ll get a happy few years together before my familiar comes along. Might even be more than that, who knows. We might be lucky, Cyn.”

“Indeed… oh, and speaking of familiars…”

She smiled widely as a beautiful dove flew into the room, circling above their heads before it came to land on Cynthia’s shoulder, cooing gently near the woman’s ear. Harry watched in fascination, wondering if his own familiar would be a bird, or a cat or dog, or maybe something more unusual like a frog. It had been known to happen, albeit rarely.

“It’s my beautiful Savannah. I’ve missed you, my love. Can you go and say hi to Harry?”

The bird flapped her wings and took off into the air, hovering in front of Harry for a moment before he held out his arm, her talons gripping onto his jacket as he locked eyes with her for a moment. There was a flash of something in her eyes but Harry just smiled, stroking down her soft feathers for a moment.

“I can’t believe you and Vannah have been together for so long. It’s the thing our kind dreams of, you know?”

“It is, and I am well aware of how lucky we both are. Your turn will come, Harry. But until then, enjoy your time with your Louis. Don’t wish it away.”

“Never. If only there was a spell to make it so we could be together forever, against the odds…”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Louis laid out on the sofa, letting out a small mewl as he stretched his furry legs out as long as they’d go, watching as his claws sprang free from their confines, pointed and ready for action. He let them slowly slip back inside his paws, nuzzling his small head against the fleece blanket he was curled up in, relishing how warm and cosy he felt. He rubbed his furry cheek and whiskers against the soft fabric and his eyes drifted shut, ears still alert and attentive as always.

There was something so relaxing about coming home at the end of a hard day at work, stripping himself of all his human clothes and shifting into his cat form. There was nothing like the feeling of falling back into that headspace, padding around on his soft carpet on his four paws, stretching out his spine, curling up on a blanket in the sunshine that beamed through the front windows of his flat. He loved the way his fur heated up in the intense rays, and it always made him feel sleepy.

He must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing he knew, his doorbell was going off rapidly. Louis yawned loudly, exposing all of his teeth before he reluctantly jumped off the sofa, creeping over to the window where he made an agile leap up onto the windowsill, peering around the frame to see who was here to see him. He had the ground floor flat which meant he had his own entrance, and he always appreciated a bit of forewarning about his guests.

Liam turned to the window then and rolled his eyes when he saw Louis in cat form, rummaging in his pocket and producing a silver key. He held it up to Louis for the okay, and Louis gave it by pressing his petite paw to the glass. Liam chuckled and opened the door, quickly shutting it before the flat could get filled with the autumn chill from outside.

“Why do I get the feeling that the colder the weather gets, the more I’m going to find feline Louis when I get over here?” Liam called as he shucked off his boots, walking heavy-footed as always into Louis’ sitting room. Louis sprang down and ran over to Liam, all four legs working in tandem and he mewed as he circled the tall man’s legs, his tail snaking around Liam’s calf until finally, Liam cupped him under his stomach and legs and lifted him up, staring into Louis’ piercing blue eyes for a moment. “Such a cutie, aren’t you? Give us a cuddle then.”

Louis purred as he pushed into Liam’s chest, his eyes shutting with the pleasure of the easy affection between the pair. It hadn’t always been this way, and that was why times like these were so precious for Louis. Only a handful of people in Louis’ life knew the truth about him being a shifter, and Liam was the latest one he’d put his trust in. it had happened entirely accidentally, but now Louis welcomed another person knowing about his true self, loving when he could curl up in Liam’s lap and be entirely himself. He was immensely grateful Liam had just accepted him, especially being a human.

“Can I just vent for a bit, mate? We can sit down, I just… I need to talk, you know?”

Louis mewled again and licked Liam’s neck, telling the man in his own way that it was fine, that he was there for whatever he needed. Liam carried him over to the sofa in his big, strong arms and settled down. Louis circled around for a moment, careful to avoid piercing Liam’s jeans with his claws and grumbled as he flopped down, his head resting on Liam’s knee, ears perked to show his friend he was listening.

“Thanks, Lou.” Liam’s fingers began to stroke Louis’ small head, and he pressed into the touch as Liam began to divulge whatever was on his mind. “It’s just… things with Soph are shit. I thought I could cope with her being a faerie but it’s harder than I thought. We argued about it the other night. She yelled at me, told me I couldn’t possibly understand and she’s right, isn’t she? We’re from different worlds.”

Liam sighed and Louis felt it go right through his body. He got up and turned around, his head now laying on Liam’s stomach as he stared up at him, wishing there was more he could do for his friend than to just lay there. He swished his tail for a moment, and Liam smiled down at him, his eyes crinkling just how Louis liked them to. It was Liam’s genuine smile.

“I know, mate. I just wish we could be like you and Haz, you know? You two just work, he accepts you for what you are. Makes me a bit jealous, if I’m honest.”

Louis was pleased to be in his cat form at that moment, for he was sure that if he was human, his cheeks would be bright pink and would give away his big fat lie. Well, to call it a lie wouldn’t be fair. It was more an omission of the truth. Liam had just assumed that his boyfriend of ten months knew about Louis being a shifter, and Louis had just never corrected him. He knew it would invite more questions than he was willing to answer, and Liam being a human meant he struggled to get his head around things as it was. Louis didn’t want to add any more complications to his life than he already had.

He purred louder, the sound vibrating through his chest as Liam scratched his nails between Louis’ ears, exactly where he liked it the best. Louis would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about how it would feel to have Harry touch him like this, to run those big hands down Louis’ spine, to run his tail through those fingers, to be snuggled against his boyfriend’s broad chest. But it was all a pipe dream. Harry was a human, and that meant Louis wasn’t his familiar. Knowing that there was another out there that Louis was destined to be with played heavily on his heart every single day.

With a jolt, Louis leapt off Liam’s lap and he chased a green plastic ball with a bell inside down the corridor, nudging open the door to his bedroom with his head. He listened to it creak shut before he closed his eyes, letting himself shift seamlessly back into human form. It had been something he’d practised since he was a toddler, and now it was second nature. He was of course naked, and he turned to his drawers, grabbing a pair of boxers and sliding them over his hips. He realised they were Harry’s when they hung from his thighs rather than fitting snugly like his own, but he just shrugged, getting the rest of his clothes on before he went out to join Liam.

“Sorry mate. Thought I’d better do the right thing and be human for our little chat.” He yawned and stretched his arms up to the ceiling, already missing how the stretch felt in feline form. “Sorry things with Soph are crap. You should really talk to her though, be honest before it drives a bigger wedge between you.”

Louis knew the irony of what he was saying, and he willed himself to keep a straight face, not wanting to be caught out in his own lies just yet. Liam nodded and sighed, slumping back against Louis’ sofa, his eyes shut.

“I know. Wish it was that easy though.”

“Well, I’m always here to talk to, cat Lou or real Lou, you know that. You’re welcome here anytime.”

“Except when you’re with Harry though, huh? Sorry I called when you were, um,  _ busy _ the other day…”

“Don’t apologise, I’m sure it was far more awkward for you than it was for us…”

“Yeah. Haven’t even met your boyfriend yet but I already know what his sex noises sound like…”

Louis cackled at that before elbowing Liam and pouncing into his lap, making himself comfortable.

“S’not my fault I can make him scream now, is it?”

“Does that mean he knows how to make you meow as well- oi, fuck you, that hurt!”

**One Week Until Halloween**

The rain was battering down on the windows, and Harry jumped when the front door to his small house slammed shut, telling him Louis was back from work. They didn’t live together, not yet (although Harry still felt that was coming sooner rather than later) but they were at each others places often enough that they had keys, and came and went as they pleased.

“Hey babe!” Louis called as Harry heard the thud of his shoes hitting the hallway parquet flooring. He knew if he walked out there, he’d see them in a heap, not neatly stacked like his own but it was one of Louis’ more endearing traits. “Had a good day?”

Hastily, Harry shoved the empty potion jars into the cupboard out of sight, and had just kicked the door shut when Louis appeared in the doorway, all rumpled from work but as gorgeous as ever. Harry had barely opened his arms when Louis barrelled into them, his arms wrapping around Harry’s waist, squeezing him tightly, leaving him almost breathless for a moment, not that Harry minded.

“Better now you’re here,” Harry murmured, connecting their lips in a brief but deep kiss. “Mmm, I love so much that you care about your work and the animals, but you know I’m not a fan of when you come home smelling of the place…”

He wrinkled his nose and Louis laughed, yanking his jumper over his head and throwing it in the direction of Harry’s washing machine, leaving it on the floor. 

“Sorry, love. Gonna borrow your shower, then we can make dinner, yeah?”

“You mean I cook the dinner and you sit on the worktop and talk and watch me work?”

“That’s what I said,” Louis shrugged, sidling up behind Harry and looping his arms around his waist. Harry felt content as Louis nuzzled his cheek against his back for a moment. “Can we have that salmon thing again?”

“Fish again, Lou? You’re a bit obsessed, aren’t you?”

“Just like it, that’s all,” Louis mumbled, and Harry quickly whipped around, not meaning to upset his sensitive boyfriend in any way. He rubbed his nose against Louis’ and they shared another kiss for a moment before Harry patted his bum, pulling away. “Oi!”

“Go on. Shower, or we’ll be eating too late and you’ll get a belly ache again. I’ll make a start.”

“Knew there was a reason I came ‘round,” Louis called as he bounced off, Harry listening out for the shower starting up before he went back into the cupboard, grabbing his potion related things and running them to the understairs cupboard where all his things Louis couldn’t see were stowed away. While he was there, Harry grabbed the hoover, leaving it out to use in a minute while he went to preheat the oven, ready for dinner.

He tidied up the place a little while Louis sang away to himself, warbling away under the spray, and Harry couldn’t stop himself from grinning. At times like this, it was easy to forget that he and Louis weren’t destined to be as they should, that their lives weren’t already mapped out for each other. Harry felt such a strong connection to the boy he’d stumbled across in the bookshop one wintery November afternoon that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from asking for Louis’ number, and that had been that. They’d been inseparable ever since, but there wasn’t a moment that went by when Harry didn’t want to tell Louis the truth about himself… that he was a witch.

He plumped the sofa cushions, chucked a few old magazines away and set Holby City to record when he noticed yet another patch of black cat hair on the rug. He sighed, wondering how on earth he kept finding cat hairs everywhere when he didn’t have a pet, and wandered over to the hoover, switching the appliance on just as Louis came back out, joggers slung low on his hips, rubbing at his wet hair with a towel. Harry only just managed to stop himself from taking Louis there and then against the wall, he looked so good.

“Why is there bloody animal hair everywhere? Do you just drag it in on your clothes or summat, Lou? All I find is black cat hair!”

Harry was yelling above the volume of the hoover, and he didn’t hear Louis’ nervous chuckle or see the way his cheeks glowed pinker than they were from the hot water before he scuttled off, leaving Harry to his cleaning. The constant presence of animal hair was a mystery Harry was sure he’d never solve. When he was satisfied he’d got every stray hair, he moved back to the kitchen, using his magic to help him chop and dice the vegetables for the veggie rice he was making, grabbing the knife handle just in time as Louis came back in, dressed in Harry’s clothes, chatting away about his day.

Just under an hour later, they were sat at Harry’s small kitchen table, eating with one hand while the other was linked with the man sitting opposite, enjoying the meal that Harry had lovingly prepared. Louis’ contribution had been setting the table and pouring Harry a glass of wine, while he downed a glass of cold milk for himself. The dinner was delicious as always, and they were soon done, the pair cleaning up side by side, knowing the boring jobs went quicker when they did them together.

It wasn’t long before they were on the sofa, Louis curled up in Harry’s lap, his head against his boyfriend’s chest as something nondescript played on the telly, giving them a little background noise. 

“We had the cutest little puppy brought in today,” Louis began, stroking his fingers across Harry’s stomach under the hem of his cosy jumper. “He was black and tan, and so tiny! He was so friendly, Haz, kept running around our feet, and the poor little thing whined when we had to put him in his cage…”

“I really don’t know why you work there sometimes,” Harry laughed, letting his fingers glide through Louis’ now dry hair. “I get the feeling you’d quite happily either live there or that you’d love to bring all the animals home with you.”

“Oh god, I would,” Louis grinned, rolling onto his back, staring up at Harry now. Harry was struck again by how beautiful his boyfriend was, and how Louis’ eyes always lit up whenever they talked about work. Louis worked at an animal shelter, one that rehoused animals that had been brought in, or cared for those who couldn’t be rehomed for whatever reason. Harry always knew how much Louis loved animals, had a particular affinity for the four legged ones and he loved how much Louis genuinely cared for them all, often crying when one left to their new forever home. “You know I would, in a heartbeat. Pity my flat and your house just aren’t big enough.”

“Yep, real shame,” Harry grinned, getting a poke in the tummy from Louis for his sass. “Now I know you just had a shower and you’re all clean, but…”

Louis wiggled his eyebrows up at his boyfriend, a smirk flashing across his features as their eyes locked for a moment.

“But what, Haz?”

“I rather fancy an early night, don’t you?”

Louis nodded and sat up on Harry’s thighs, leaning in to kiss him for a moment, the pair moaning as their tongues touched, the kiss deepening before Louis pulled away, holding Harry’s face in his hands.

“If you think I’m walking anywhere right now, you can think again, Harry…”

“Good job I’ve got you then, isn’t it?” Harry asked, pushing onto his feet, smiling as Louis locked his legs behind Harry’s back, arms around his neck. His hands slid around and supported Louis’ bum, squeezing his cheeks quickly. “Bedtime for us…”

**5 days to Halloween**

“I want the witchy one!”

“Well, I want the pumpkin one ‘cause pumpkins are cooler!”

Harry just rolled his eyes as he watched the young children arguing at a halloween stand near the tills at the supermarket. As a witch, Harry disliked Halloween. It had become something completely over-commercialised, and he hated watching children dressing up in a bastardization of what they believed a witch to look like. Harry was aware that at times, he had a witchy air about him, but he certainly never wore a black pointy hat (fedoras were most certainly more his fashion) or carried a broomstick. 

He perused the sweets, wondering what to buy Louis. Louis had the sweetest tooth Harry had ever known a fully grown man to possess but he never stopped himself from indulging his boyfriend, making sure he had something in his house at all times for Louis to nibble on. The fact Louis was currently at the doctors meant Harry just wanted to spoil him even more, so he grabbed a few bags of his boyfriend’s favourite things and threw them into his trolley before he strolled towards the checkout.

“Mum! That man is dressed like a witch! Look!”

“Audrey, don’t point, and that’s very rude. Come on, let’s go…”

Harry met the woman’s eyes for a moment but didn’t return her apologetic smile as he adjusted the hat on top of his head. He glanced down for a moment, taking in the all black outfit; the long black coat, baggy black trousers, black shirt and black fedora on his head, shrugging. He didn’t care what others thought of him. He was comfortable, and this was how he liked to dress. 

He paid for the shopping and loaded it into the boot of his car, resisting the urge to use his magic in public to help with the heavier items. People speculated more freely now about witches being a reality, and while it was more talked about amongst humans, Harry knew better than to use his magic in public. He knew that public acceptance of witches wasn’t exactly common, scared that they would use their magic for evil or for more nefarious purposes as opposed to the kind-hearted intentions Harry had for his own magic. The worst thing Harry had ever done was use his magic to trap a particularly large and hairy spider under a vase from across the room, too frightened to approach it himself. He’d been relieved when Louis had come by that night and safely removed it to the garden following Harry’s begging and pleading him not squish it under his trainers. There was also the thought of Louis, or anyone who knew him, spotting him. Louis deserved better than to ever find out his boyfriend is a witch secondhand. If he was going to find out, Harry had to be the one to tell him, that much he knew. He just wanted to enjoy the time he had with Louis while he could, before he discovered his familiar and was forced to break apart their relationship. 

The drive home was quick, and Harry took a chance, using his magic to help get all the shopping indoors in one hit, certain Louis wouldn’t arrive home for at least an hour. When everything was put away, Harry decided it was time to sort out his candles. Louis knew of Harry’s love for making his own candles, using wax and natural scents to make the tall pillars that he lit at every opportunity. Louis had even joined in occasionally but soon got bored, resorting to dashing outside to Harry’s small garden with a football, or retreating to bed when it was wintery and too cold outside. Harry, though, found it soothing, and he dug out everything he needed, spreading it out on the table.

He started melting the wax and pulled out several of his favourite scents and moulds, deciding which to make. He used a tall wooden spoon to stir the wax, preparing it for the scents he was going to add. The only part Louis didn’t know about was Harry’s use of magic for his candles. He knew they wouldn’t turn out just how he liked it without the dash of magic he added, and he also used his powers to make the candles glittery too. Harry was sure there wasn’t anything glitter couldn’t make prettier. 

Harry was just about to start to chant one of his magical incantations, his wand clutched in his right hand when the front door slammed shut. He quickly shoved the wand in the cutlery drawer and turned back to the vat of wax, stirring it as he glanced up, his heart breaking when he saw how miserable Louis looked.

“Oh, come here love,” he said, holding his arms open as Louis shuffled into them, sighing heavily and relaxing against Harry’s body. “What happened?”

“Just said it was a cold and gave me a shot. A flu jab, you know?”

“Ah, probably for the best, sweetheart. I know that makes you feel rough, though. Good excuse for me to take care of you, though.”

Louis nodded, sniffling into Harry’s shirt, burrowing his hands under his top and resting them against the small of Harry’s back. Harry shivered with how chilly they were.

“You making more candles, Haz?”

“Yeah. The ones we burn in the living room are nearly finished, so I thought I’d get on and make some more.”

Louis nodded again before pulling away, tucking his hands up into the sleeves of his jumper, giving him sweater paws.

“Mind if I go and have a bath? I feel a bit rough, and I reckon a good soak will make me feel better. Then we could have some dinner and snuggle up and watch a film?”

Harry pulled Louis close then, kissing his lips and mumbling a few words against them, feeling Louis smile slightly behind the kiss. The kisses were lazy but full of love, and it was when the wax starting spitting a little that Harry finally broke away, leaving Louis to mope off upstairs. Harry knew he’d be using one of his bath potions that Louis believed to be an organic bath milk of some kind that Harry got him one of his “hippy shops” (Louis’ words, not Harry’s), and he smiled at the thought.

There was silence upstairs now which meant Louis was probably chin deep in warm, bubbly water so Harry decided to risk a little bit of magic. He walked over to the drawer where he’d shoved his wand and pulled it out, grateful to see it wasn’t damaged in any way. He sprinkled in some of the rose petals and essence he had prepared for this candle, and muttered a few magical words under his breath, circling the wand in figure eights above the bubbling wax.

Just as the final words left his lips, a puff of smoke arose from the vat of wax, and Harry jumped, not having expected that noise. Usually, it was a subtle glow from the substance he was casting a spell on, but this felt more like a misfire of magic than anything else. Once the plume of smoke had evaporated into the air, Harry wafted his hand around over the top to peer inside, seeing no obvious glittery remnants as he usually did. He sighed and decided he must have done something wrong, so decided to leave the glitter for now. He reached for a mould and his ladle, pouring some of the hot wax gently inside before he spoke another enchantment, watching and waiting for the liquid to turn the soft pink he was hoping for.

“ _ Disglerio _ …”

He stood back as the spell took hold, but instead of the beautiful rose scent he was supposed to create, a vile aroma rose up and the liquid in the mould started to turn black. Harry grimaced and set it down quickly, realising that was his second spell in a row to go wrong.

“What did I do wrong this time?” he muttered to himself, deciding to try again. Only this time, the liquid in the mould started to boil over once he’d finished enchanting, and Harry dropped it with a loud clatter to the table, muddy brown wax oozing out over the protective covering he’d thankfully laid down. It was with that he decided to give up. Clearly, magic wasn’t on his side today, and he couldn’t fathom what he’d done wrong. He’d used the same ingredients as he’d done countless times before but it definitely hadn’t worked correctly. “Oh well…”

He threw some of the dirty items into the sink, leaving the wax to cool, figuring he’d try again when he was less stressed. Perhaps it was his emotions playing into making his magic go wonky. His mother always told him to cast spells with a clear head, and not his heart. Maybe Louis was too much on his mind. Yes, that must be it. 

With a sigh, Harry began the arduous task of cleaning up, all the while wishing he could go and look after his boyfriend. There was nothing worse than a miserable Louis. Harry wanted just scoop Louis up into his arms and make him hot tea and toast until he felt better. It sounded like the perfect idea so Harry started cleaning with a renewed vigour, deciding taking care of Louis was the only plan for the rest of the day. Magic could wait.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Louis pushed himself further down into the bathwater, letting the bubbles tickle him under his chin slightly. The bath milk of Harry’s that he’d dumped into the bath felt amazing and so relaxing, all of Louis’ achy muscles giving way to pure and simple bliss as he let the water surround his body. Although Louis had told Harry he’d gone to see the doctor about his cold, he’d actually been to the vets. He was sure he’d spent too much time in his cat form with the sick animals at the shelter where he worked, and the vet had agreed. He’d been given a shot in his neck, and told to rest for the next few days. Now, though, Louis was feeling achy with the after-effects, and wished he’d could tell Harry the truth. Saying he’d had a flu jab and felt rough was the next best thing though.

He’d washed his hair and body in Harry’s luxury shampoo and shower gel, knowing Harry liked it when Louis smelt like him, and was just about ready to get out of the bath and into Harry’s huge bed, intending to cocoon himself in the cosy duvet and not move until dinnertime. Just as he sat up, wriggling his toes in the water, Louis’ fingers started to flick and twitch like they did when he was preparing to shift. He looked down puzzled, certain he wasn’t in the headspace to shift right now, but a flash of his claws told him otherwise.

He shook his hands, causing droplets of water to fly around for a moment, willing the pre-shift to stop. His claws flashed again for a moment, and Louis flinched as they sank back inside, letting his eyes rake up and down his arms for any further signs of unwanted shifting. There was nothing, and soon his body was still again, the water getting cooler around him. Louis thought it might be a side effect of the jab he’d had, but he’d never experienced anything like it before; unintentional shifting was something he’d never gone through. He’d always been in control of his shifting, even as a youngster, and he felt a little out of sorts.

Just as he pushed himself up and out of the water, the bathroom door creaked open and Harry’s head peered around, smiling softly at a very wet and very naked Louis.

“I’ve just got a fluffy towel out of the tumble dryer, love…” he said as he walked inside, opening the towel up for Louis to step into, enveloping his small body with the towel. Louis instantly felt warm and tilted his chin up for a kiss as Harry rubbed him down, making sure he was dry. Their lips met and Louis melted into the touch, loving the feel of Harry’s hands holding the towel tightly around his body, keeping him safe and warm. It was times like these that made Louis want to shift, to curl up on Harry’s lap, to feel how safe he’d be around him. “My poor Loubear…”

“I’ll be fine. Just wanna get in bed and have a cuddle. Hate feeling like this.”

“Alright, we can do that. Let me dry your hair first, yeah?”

Louis nodded and let Harry take his hand, leading him through to his bedroom, which often felt like  _ their _ bedroom. Harry walked around flicking on the bedside lamps and lighting one of his homemade candles while Louis quickly dropped his towel, going into Harry’s chest of drawers to find something comfortable and baggy to put on. He could feel Harry’s eyes boring into him from across the room as he slid some boxers over his hips, letting the elastic ping back against his skin with a loud snap.

“Eyes off, Styles…”

“I’m allowed to admire what’s mine, Lou, you’re just so pretty,” Harry murmured, tucking the quilt back as Louis pulled on one of Harry’s baggy t-shirts, sliding under the covers next to his boyfriend. He bit back a purr that lingered in the back of his throat, and just buried his face in Harry’s neck, tangling their legs together. “I’m sorry you’re feeling like this, love. I mean, I know the flu jab is a good thing in the long run, but it’s sad it makes you feel shitty. I wish I could do something to make you better.”

“You can just give me lots of cuddles and cook for me, that’ll do,” Louis said softly, feeling Harry’s fingertips stroking up and down his spine. As Louis let his eyes shut, he could feel the cat side of him itching to come out, to shift to his feline form where he could burrow into a blanket, curl into a ball and just sleep until he felt better. Maybe one day, he’d be able to do that around Harry. If he was really, really lucky.

He felt Harry’s lips press to his clammy forehead as he finally slipped into sleep, Harry’s steady heart beating, his sensitive ears picking up on the soothing, rhythmic sound. He felt all of his limbs go lax, his breathing slowing down as sleep took hold. There was nothing like feeling safe in Harry’s arms, even in the depths of sleep.

** _3 days to Halloween_ **

Louis watched out of the corner of his eye as Harry laid out on his sofa, feet dangling over the edge of the arm as he flicked through one of Louis’ magazines he’d bought the other day. Louis knew that really, Harry had no interest whatsoever in the subject, but he appreciated his boyfriend reading it as he knew it was something Louis enjoyed. He stood up and stretched out his back, his muscles aching with a need to shift. It had been over twenty-four hours now since he’d shifted as Harry had stayed over last night, and Louis never risked it when Harry was around, in case he woke in the middle of the night and stumbled upon kitten Louis in the living room. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“You want some lunch soon, Haz?” Louis asked, walking over to the telly stand and setting the remotes down. “Or did you wanna go out for a walk or something?”

“Lunch sounds good,” Harry agreed, sitting up on his elbows slightly, smiling slightly at his boyfriend. “We could go for a walk later on?”

“Yep, alright,” Louis grinned back. He bent down to flick off the sound bar on the bottom shelf of the stand when he saw one of his favourite cat toys sticking just out from under the coffee table near Harry. He swallowed nervously, grateful that Harry hadn’t noticed it so far but he knew it wouldn’t be too long before he did. He walked over, acting as if he just wanted to come and be close to Harry and hovered near the table, reaching out his left foot to nudge the ball. He stilled when he heard a tinkling from the bell trapped inside but kept pushing, knowing he couldn’t risk Harry seeing it and asking why he had a cat toy when he obviously didn’t have a pet cat.

“You hear that?”

Harry’s head snapped up with his words, but Louis focused on arranging his face into a neutral expression.

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard a… never mind. Probably just imagining it again, ignore me.”

“Okay, love,” Louis grinned, relieved the toy was now out of sight, and that Harry had just ignored what he’d thought he had heard. He meandered his way through to the kitchen, pulling a plate of leftovers out of the fridge from last night before popping it into the microwave, setting the device off. He was just collecting the clean plates and cutlery when the doorbell rang, startling him. Louis froze, knowing there was really only one person who visited, and he was filled with dread. “I’ll get it!”

He dashed through the flat, ignoring Harry sitting up and straightening out his t-shirt as he threw open the door, staring at Liam who was cradling two enormous pumpkins in his arms.

“Fuck, let me in, Lou, these fuckers are heavy…”

Liam shoved his way past Louis and into the main room of the flat, mumbling gratefully as Harry stepped forward, relieving Liam of one of the pumpkins, the pair setting them down on the floor by the coffee table.

“Sorry to barge in like that, just my arms were going to give way…”

“S’okay. Um… Li, this is my boyfriend Harry. Harry, this is Liam.”

“Nice to meet you at last,” Harry grinned, extending his hand and shaking Liam’s, a warm and inviting smile on his face. “Lou talks about you all the time, I’m not sure why it’s taken us so long to get together…”

Louis let out a burst of short, nervous laughter, making both men look at him for a second before their attention went back to each other. 

“Yeah, well, life’s busy, you know…”

“It is. But surely you’ve both got time to carve some pumpkins, yeah? I was buying a couple with Soph yesterday, and I thought I’d treat you both!”

“So kind,” Louis said through gritted teeth, knowing Harry felt the same way he did about the god forsaken vegetables that were carved up year after year. “I’m sure we’ll find time to do something with them.”

“Ah good, I knew you’d like them. Maybe you could be all ironic and carve a cat-”

“Can I speak to you in the kitchen for a moment?” Louis interrupted, his hand clamped on Liam’s bicep as he practically dragged him through to the other room, leaving a stunned looking Harry stood watching them leave. “Liam, seriously?”

“What? What’s wrong with suggesting you carve a cat? Because you’re a cat, and it’d be funny…”

“No, I get it. Haha, very funny. But um… Harrydoesn’tknowI’mashifter.”

Louis knew Liam hadn’t caught a word of his mumbled sentence by the frown lines burrowing between his eyebrows and he sighed, fiddling with his own fingers as he finally admitted to the truth.

“Harry doesn’t know about me. That I’m a shifter. And I want it to stay that way so you need to keep your gob shut, okay?”

“Harry doesn’t know?” Liam practically yelled, and Louis shoved his palm against Liam’s mouth to keep the words inside. “How the fuck have you hid the fact you’re a fucking cat from him for nearly a year?!”

“Because I have to, Liam! He’s a human, and I’m a shifter. We wouldn’t work. You know I’ve got my own familiar out there, someone I’m destined to be with. Harry’s a human, so that means it can’t be him, which just breaks my heart, if I’m honest. And the minute he finds out about me, it’s over and I can’t deal with that just yet, okay?”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Tommo,” Liam cursed, glaring at Louis before he stepped away, his arms folded across his chest. “You could’ve just said that to me. I’d have understood. You didn’t need to keep me away from your boyfriend for a whole year.”

“Sorry, I just… I was protecting myself, I guess,” Louis muttered, feeling bad now. His nose twitched and he shook his head, trying to shake away the feeling as he started to talk again. “I think that-”

“Uh, Lou…”

Liam frowned and pointed at Louis’ face for a moment, looking a little shocked.

“What?”

“If you don’t want Haz to know you’re a shifter, it’s probably a good idea to try and put your whiskers back in.”

“What? My whiskers are-”

He brought a hand to his face and felt the long strands pushing out of the side of his nose, gasping as he did so. It seemed a bit odd now that the other day he’d been unable to control his claws, but now, his whiskers were out of control too. Louis shut his eyes and tried to relax, to will them away but it was to no avail.

“Shit! Fucking hell, this is the last thing I need… go and talk to Harry while I try and make this go away.”

“What do I say? I don’t know the guy!”

“Talk about me. Talk about books. Talk about medicines, he likes that given he’s a pharmacist. Talk about fucking pumpkins for all I care, just distract him!”

“Louis, no, I- so, Harry, how’s things?!”

He walked behind Liam and unceremoniously shoved him in the back, making Liam stumble in, laughing at himself as he started chattering away inanely to Harry. He snatched Liam’s phone up from where he’d left it on the worktop and opened the camera app, switching it to selfie mode. He groaned as he saw the whiskers and wiggled his nose for a moment, hoping they’d just retract back in.

Louis had no idea why, after twenty four years as a shifter, things were suddenly going awry. His mother had been proud when he’d been the first toddler in his nursery class to master shifting, doing it frequently throughout the day, particularly when it came to naptime and he didn’t want to join in with the other children. So for his shifting to suddenly be going rather wonky made no sense. Louis shut his eyes and took a few deep relaxing breaths, trying to slow his heartbeat down slightly. He knew if he panicked he’d be in a worse dilemma, so he focused hard, thinking about his human form, his arms, his legs, his human features.

Slowly, he let his eyes flicker open again, gingerly peering at the screen he was still holding up to his face. Thankfully, his whiskers appeared to have retracted back inside, but Louis could still feel the skin twitching, like they wanted to erupt again. Louis gritted his teeth and pushed the feeling back, hoping things would settle.

“Lou? You coming in?”

Louis swallowed before he replied, knowing Harry would be able to sense something wrong in his voice. He was strangely intuitive like that.

“Yeah, I’m coming, love…”

He took one final glance at the phone screen, satisfied that there was nothing amiss. He looked entirely human, his whiskers and claws were (thankfully) behaving themselves, and he set the phone down, walking through to the sitting room and immediately curling up on Harry’s lap again. The movement wasn’t missed by Liam, who just stared intently at the pair.

“We definitely have to go out with Liam and his girlfriend sometime, Lou,” Harry said, turning Louis so he could look at him. Louis felt paranoid for a moment, sure Harry could see something but he calmed down when Harry leaned in and grazed his lips against Louis’ stubbly cheek. “We’ve never double dated with anyone, but I think it’d be fun. What do you think?”

“Whatever you want, beautiful,” Louis hummed in reply, nuzzling into Harry’s touch yet again. He was aware it was one of his animalistic traits, but since he’d done it from the beginning of their relationship, he knew it wasn’t a giveaway. Only Liam would see if for the kitten-like tendency it actually was. “Are you staying for lunch, Li?”

“No, thanks. Soph just text me a minute ago, wants me to go and see something with her. I’ll definitely be in touch about that double date, though. And Harry, lovely to meet you at last, mate.”

“You too, Liam,” Harry grinned, staying on the sofa as Louis reluctantly extracted himself from the confines of Harry’s lap, wanting to have a final word with Liam in private. “You seeing him out?”

“Yeah, back in a tick.” He brushed his lips against Harry’s and followed Liam out of the front door, closing it quietly behind him. “Liam, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry to me. Just… don’t lie to me next time, yeah? I know I’m a mere human, but I have a heart, Louis. If you’d have told me, I would have tried to understand and maybe talk to you about it. But for what it’s worth, I think you need to tell Harry the truth about who you are. He seems like a great guy.”

“He is. The best. Which is why I don’t want to lose him just yet, Li. I’ll tell him. One day.”

“It’s your grave, Lou,” Liam muttered as he got into his car, leaving Louis shivering on the pavement in just a pair of joggers and one of Harry’s baggy t-shirts that fell down to mid-thigh. He knew Harry thought it was a cute look. “See you soon.”

“Yeah, bye Liam.”

Liam drove off and Louis hurried back inside, finding Harry had disappeared, along with the pumpkins. He followed the sound of a bang which came from his kitchen and saw Harry balancing one of the pumpkins on the table, a large knife in his other hand.

“Shall we, darling?!”

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Harry grimaced as he reached into the pumpkin, pulling out a handful of seeds and flesh, clutching it tightly in his fist until he dumped it in the large plastic bowl Louis had dug out from under the sink for this purpose. It had taken Harry a lot of persuading to get Louis to partake in the pumpkin carving, a man staunchly against the celebration for reasons Harry didn’t really understand, but Louis was nothing if not a sucker for Harry’s pouting and big green eyes. A promised blow job later on might have just sealed the deal as well.

The flesh hit the bowl with a strange slap, and Harry peered inside the now-empty pumpkin, pleased that he didn’t have to do any more of that. Several seeds had scattered themselves across the table, and Harry muttered a spell under his breath, watching with a small smile on his lips as the seeds lifted up and drifted slowly towards the bowl, tumbling inside just after they hovered above it. 

Harry looked over to Louis’ still full pumpkin, sighing at the short attention span his boyfriend had. Louis had so far managed to cut the top off and had scooped about three handfuls of seeds out before he realised he’d forgotten some very important paperwork for the shelter that “must be completed now, Harry, I can’t turn up to work and not have it done!”. Harry was puzzled that that had been the first he’d heard of it, but he’d let Louis go, deciding to use his magic to help while his boyfriend was locked away upstairs, probably online shopping.

With a glance towards the kitchen door to make sure he was truly alone, Harry waved his hands over the pumpkin and watched as the pumpkin started shedding itself of the stringy bits of flesh inside, seeds lifting out and floating over to the bowl. It was mesmerising to watch it happen in an endless circle, the magic taking hold but all of a sudden, the bowl wobbled and flipped over, careering to the floor with a loud clatter, spreading mess all over the floor.

“Oh for fuck’s saaaaaaaaake!” Harry yelled, stamping his foot on the floor in frustration. He could already hear Louis’ footsteps thundering down the stairs, and didn’t pay much attention to his boyfriend’s rumpled appearance as he stopped himself in the doorway, staring down at the mess that was now on his kitchen floor. “Um…”

“Had enough of the stupid vegetables, did we? Told you it was a bad idea…”

He walked over to the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a brush and dustpan before crouching next to the mess, starting to sweep it up. It was moments like this where Harry wished Louis knew the truth about him because he could have the floor cleaned up in two seconds flat with a quick cleaning spell. However, the view he had of Louis on the floor on his hands and knees wasn’t too terrible, although he did feel bad about making him clear the mess Harry had made himself.

“Sorry. Just… must’ve caught the bowl with my elbow or something…”

“It’s alright, love. Accidents happen. But we’re throwing the pumpkins away now, right?”

“No, Louis,” Harry sighed, standing up and dragging the bin over so Louis could empty the full pan. “We can’t waste vegetables like that. If you don’t want to do them, I will, I just thought it’d be nice to do them together…”

“Oh no. Oh don’t do that, Styles. Don’t make me feel sorry for you and feel like a shitty boyfriend. Don’t-”

Harry batted his eyelashes quickly and Louis groaned, slapping his hand against his forehead with a squelch, and then he squealed when he realised he’d now smeared pumpkin innards all over his skin.

“Fucking stupid fucking vegetables, who wants a fucking stupid carving on a bloody orange vegetable anyway…” he muttered under his breath, viciously sweeping the last few things up as Harry used a few wipes to clean up the floor. “Let’s get on with it then. What are you carving while I finish emptying this pile of shit?”

“A cat,” Harry shrugged, glancing over at Louis with a puzzled expression when he appeared to choke on air at his suggestion. “No? I just thought it’d be fun, like a cat silhouette, you know?”

“It’s, uh, it’s fine. You do that. I’m going to be boring and just do a normal jack o’lantern.”

“Not exactly spooky or creative,” Harry replied with a roll of his eyes, as he started sketching onto the pumpkin with a pencil. He worked quietly as Louis muttered to himself, every other word a curse word until the pumpkin was finally empty and he could begin cutting. Harry saw him grab a knife and start hacking away, and he felt nervous to interrupt. “Um, are you not going to design-”

“Nope.”

“I mean, I can help-”

“Nope. Thank you, Harold.”

“Okay…” Harry said, biting his lip as he watched Louis hacking into the pumpkin like it was some sort of punishment for the poor orange vegetable. Every now and then, Louis stopped to itch his nose and flex his fingers, and Harry found it a bit odd. Louis was quirky at the best of times, but this was downright weird, even for him. “Louis, are you allergic to pumpkins or something?”

“Huh? No, I just hate them. Why?”

“You keep rubbing your nose, like it’s itchy or something. Have you got a rash or-”

Louis surprised him by clapping his hands over his nose and darting from the room, proclaiming loudly he needed to blow his nose, and Harry just shook his head, leaving him to it. He knew better than to follow Louis when he was in one of his peculiar moods. Still, with him gone, Harry took advantage of the alone time and enchanted the knife, watching as it started to follow the path of his lines drawn on the orange skin, much speedier and smoother than he could be himself. As he heard Louis come back, he grabbed the handle and whispered to end the spell, motioning the knife back and forth to show Louis he was carving it all by himself.

“Wow. That was… quick? But can’t you follow the lines or something?”

“What? I don’t- oh shit. Um, I must have slipped?”

Harry frowned as he looked down at the pumpkin again, seeing the knife had taken on a life of its own, creating a picture not too dissimilar to Harry’s drawing but was infinitely better. It was yet another example of his magic going mad and disobeying him, and Harry just couldn’t understand it. Normally, he had perfect control over it, his spells succinct and to the point, and he was sure nothing else had changed that would be affecting them. He wasn’t ill, there were no other factors that could possibly be throwing things off, other than Halloween, but Harry dismissed that thought quickly, knowing it had never affected him before. None of it made sense, but he had to blag it to Louis that this was what he’d intended all along.

“I mean.. I had a vision as I was carving and went with it…”

“Well, lucky you. Mine looks like I’ve let Doris and Ernie loose on it. Look at the fucking state of it.”

He turned around his pumpkin and Harry bit back a laugh at how terrible it looked. The lines were jagged, bits of pumpkin hanging off in the holes where he’d carved shapes, and the lid didn’t sit neatly on top either. It was endearing, but Harry could sense it hadn’t made Louis love the idea of pumpkin carving in any way whatsoever. 

“You tried hard, love, well done…”

“Patronising git,” Louis said, launching a few errant seeds across the table at Harry. “Mine can go in the bin, and yours can go by the front door.”

“Nope, they’re going there together. Like us. A couple.”

“Oh wonderful. Then the whole flat complex can see how fucking shit I am at pumpkin carving. How long until this bloody holiday is over?”

“Three days, Lou,” Harry said, finishing off the last few bits of his own pumpkin. “Got any tealights?”

“Somewhere,” Louis shrugged, already washing his hands, bored of the activity. “Have a look around.”

Harry nodded and started pulling open drawers, rummaging around. His hand fell on a packet of Dreamies cat treats, and he pulled them from the drawer, turning to Louis with a questioning look.

“Peckish, were we?”

“No! They’re not mine!” Louis blurted out defensively without thinking.

“I didn’t think they were, Lou… you don’t own a cat,” Harry said slowly, a bit exasperated by how odd Louis was being today. “I assumed you bought them for someone else’s cat…”

“Yeah. Like, a while ago, a stray used to come around here. I felt sorry for them so I used to feed them a bit. Should have thrown those out, he hasn’t been around in ages.”

Harry just shrugged, flinging them back in the drawer before he emerged victorious with two small tealights. He grabbed the candle lighter and dropped them in, sliding the lighter through the hole in the designs to light them up.

“Turn the lights off, Lou, I wanna see!”

Louis did as Harry asked, plunging the room into semi-darkness given the late afternoon hour. The candles flickered from within the body of each pumpkin, and Harry felt proud as he looked over at his design, seeing it was obvious what it was. Louis’ on the other hand.... Well. It was certainly unique.

“Let’s take them outside. Come on, grumpy pants, bring yours.”

Louis huffed and puffed as he stomped to the front door, dropping his next to the door with a thud, and Harry set his down on the other side of the door, framing it. 

“Ah, they’re like a little pumpkin family,” he cooed, stepping back and admiring them for a moment. “I know we don’t do Halloween but still, they’re cute. This was fun. Give us a hug, Louis.”

Louis sidled over and curled into Harry’s embrace, his fist coming up to rub at his nose again. They stood and just watched the flames dancing in the breeze for a moment before Louis shivered, and Harry instinctively pulled him closer, kissing the top of Louis’ head.

“Let’s get inside, babe. I’ll cook dinner tonight?”

“Sounds good to me,” Louis said, walking inside and locking the front door behind him. “What you making?”

“I was thinking…. Pumpkin soup?!”

“Fuck off!”

**2 days to Halloween**

“Are you sure she’ll be alright here? I feel awful, but my house is mad as it is, I can’t possibly consider taking on a dog as well…”

“It’s fine, I promise,” Louis soothed, talking kindly to the woman across the desk who was struggling to give up her recently deceased father’s dog. She’d given plenty of excuses as to why she couldn’t keep the dog herself, and Louis understood, trying to empathise, but he could see the guilt was eating her alive. “She’s a wonderful dog, and I have no doubt that we’ll be able to rehome her easily.”

The woman nodded, tears shining in her eyes as she resumed filling in the paperwork about the dog, who was just sat on the floor quietly. When she was done, she crouched down next to the animal and rubbed her between the ears before she handed Louis her lead, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

“We’ll take really good care of her, I assure you. We can give you a call and let you know when she’s found a home, if you’d like?”

“Thanks, that would be nice,” she smiled, looking a little more at ease now. “Thank you for what you do here. It’s a wonderful place, as are all of you.”

“Nowhere I’d rather be,” Louis replied honestly, smiling back at her. He watched as the woman made a final emotional goodbye, and left through the door. The dog whined for a moment then laid down on the floor, and Louis knew how he wanted to comfort her. “Ally?”

One of Louis’ colleagues poked her head through the door. She was a shifter herself, but became a rabbit when she shifted. Louis had become far too excited the first time he’d heard that information. She cocked an eyebrow at Louis, eyes flicking down to the dog at his feet for a moment.

“She’s new. Rosie, she’s called. I, um… I’m gonna shift for a bit if you’re alright taking over out here? Think she needs a bit of love, and I’d feel happier giving her that as a cat.”

“Sure, Lou. I’ll sit with her while you go and shift.”

He gave her a thumbs up before he headed out to the small staff room. They had a small room off to the side of it where the staff could shift if they wanted to, and Louis quickly stripped off, leaving his clothes in a small pile, his bones already feeling the anticipation of his shift. He stretched out, shutting his eyes and letting the shift happen, relishing in how it felt to be back on four paws, dipping his front legs and extending his tail, claws scraping against the floor for a moment.

He nudged open the little animal flap that was at the bottom of the door to allow the shifting staff easy access to the room and walked out quietly, enjoying how stealthy he was in his feline form. His black fur meant he could blend in a little, and he snuck around the corner, peering his head around, big eyes focused on the dog still laying on the floor, looking a little despondent. Louis looked around, noticing a small colourful ball laying on the floor just under a table and he ran over, pushing it forward with his nose towards the dog.

She looked up with curiosity, tail starting to wag across the floor as Louis approached, letting his ears flick for a second. He looked up to Ally and she smiled softly at him, leaning down to unclip Rosie from her lead as she got to her feet, walking over slowly, sniffing the ball. Louis kept his distance, sensing she was still unsure but quickly took off after the ball when Rosie batted it with her leg. He knew his human form would be smiling at this, and he used his front paws to push the ball around for a moment, Rosie’s head following his every move.

Befriending animals of all kinds was a talent of Louis’. It didn’t matter if they were a fellow cat, a dog, a bird or a hamster. He loved them all, and was always able to cheer up even the saddest animals. He particularly loved to spend time with the animals who had little chance of being rehomed, and it also meant he got to spend the majority of his workday in his feline form, which was a win-win in his eyes.

The play between the two animals carried on for a short while, Louis starting to jump up on the counters, enjoying the challenge of leaping onto the highest surfaces he could manage, knocking all manner of things over with swipes of his tail, keeping Ally on her toes. He meowed loudly when she picked him up, glaring at him after he nearly upended a vase of flowers from a grateful adopter, thankful for uniting her with her new cat. They were jarred from their stand off by the buzzer for the door going, and Ally reluctantly set Louis on his feet, wandering over to allow the person inside.

Louis stilled the moment he heard the familiar clack of heels on the floor, and his nose twitched with the scent of the man he knew inside out. He tilted his head to the side as the man approached the counter, sitting still as he came to a stop, a box in his hands.

“Hi Ally,” the deep voice rumbled, and Louis shuddered, flicking his tail out involuntarily, starting to creep forward, aware that Harry hadn’t yet noticed him. “Uh, is Lou about? He forgot his lunch this morning, so I thought I’d pop something in for him. Don’t want him going hungry.”

“What a good boyfriend you are,” she smiled as Louis felt brave enough to walk up to Harry, circling his legs for a moment, trying to get his attention. “He’s actually just popped out for a few bits we needed. You can leave it here though, I promise I won’t eat it.”

“Good. You don’t want to see a hangry Louis, trust me,” Harry chuckled, finally looking down at the cat circling his legs. Louis let his blue eyes capture Harry’s for a moment, well aware that his blue eyes and black fur combination was quite unusual and striking. “Well, hello there. Aren’t you beautiful?”

Harry crouched down and Louis mewed lightly, rubbing his face against Harry’s knee for a moment. He purred in the back of his throat when Harry’s big hand reached out and touched his head, stroking between his ears softly before he let his hand drift down his back, all the way to the tip of his tail. Louis stayed as still as he could, hoping Harry would never stop. 

“Has this one got a name? It’s a beautiful cat… those eyes are stunning. God, they remind me of Lou’s, isn’t that funny?”

“Yeah,” Ally said, nervously laughing as she looked down at the pair. Louis met her gaze for a moment, trying to tell her to keep her cool. “Uh, no, we haven’t named him yet. We tend to wait for adopters to do that, unless they come in already named.”

Louis was stunned when Harry reached out, scooping him into his chest before he stood up, swaying gently as he cradled the cat to his chest, rubbing his cheek against Louis’ for a moment. Louis honestly felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. He usually hated being picked up by humans, Liam being the only exception and he only allowed that when it was unavoidable, but right now, he didn’t want to be anywhere other than in Harry’s arms. He felt his whole body relax as Harry kept petting him, keeping up his conversation with Ally at the same time.

“Hey Ally,” he started, peeking down at Louis for a moment, who was paying no attention whatsoever, just enjoying all the touching and holding from his boyfriend. “Do you think Lou would like me to adopt this one for his birthday? Maybe I could do it as a surprise for him?”

“Well, you know how much he loves animals,” Ally started, and that piqued Louis’ attention. He looked up, glaring at the smirking woman behind the counter, feeling the tips of his claws poke out in anger at her response. “I don’t see why not, it could be fun!”

Louis gave an angry hiss at that, and he jumped out of Harry’s arms, stunning the man as he jumped up onto the counter, prowling slowly towards Ally. She just held her ground, and he stared straight at her as he flicked his tail, knocking the vase straight onto the floor, making it smash.

“Oh, whoops a daisy,” Harry chuckled, crouching down to collect some of the pieces of broken vase while Louis just sat atop the counter, watching everything happen. “He’s a character, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Ally agreed, grabbing the brush and dustpan from under the counter. “Actually, that’s why we can’t let him go just yet. He seems to have some, uh… split personality disorder, you could say. We need to keep a bit of an eye on him, but if we ever get the all clear…”

“Give me a call,” Harry grinned, finally getting back to his feet, brushing off his trousers. “I need to get going, but will you please tell Lou I popped by? I’ll text him, but I’m sorry I missed him.”

“I’ll tell him, and I’ll make sure I- oh!”

Harry startled as Louis made a leap from the counter straight towards Harry, who thankfully caught him, bringing him right against his body for a moment.

“Well, I think he likes you.” Ally smirked again as Louis licked his rough tongue along Harry’s jaw, and thankfully, Harry just laughed it off before bending down to put Louis back on the floor. “See you later, Harry.”

“Bye, love,” Harry called as he made his way out of the building, shutting the door behind him. Louis felt ridiculously sad even though he knew he’d be over at Harry’s place later for dinner, but he was already craving being in Harry’s arms again. It made hiding his secret from his boyfriend a little bit harder, and Louis mewed sadly until Ally took pity on him, coming over and dropping a few cat treats on the side for him.

“Ah, it’ll be alright, Lou. At least he liked your kitty form. Maybe you could get him to come over here more or something, and make sure you’re kitty Lou then? Want a hug?”

For the first time, Louis let Ally hold him but quickly realised to his dismay her arms were nowhere near as wonderful as Harry’s. It was going to be hard to forget that feeling in a hurry.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Louis pulled up next to the kerb in front of Harry’s house, rolling his eyes at the amount of pumpkins he could see in front of people’s front doors and on windowsills, glowing with candles inside them. It reminded him of the god-awful pumpkins he and Harry had carved that still sat outside his own flat, much to Louis’ despair. Harry, though, had been insistent they stay there after the hard work he’d put in. He got out the car and hurried up the path, not bothering to knock as he let himself in, hit by the comforting and warm scent of Harry’s house.

“Hi honey, I’m home!” Louis called as he walked into Harry’s house, shivering from the cold.

“Oh shit-”

There was a loud smash in the background from what sounded like Harry’s kitchen, and Louis hurried to kick off his shoes and shrug off his jacket to offer any assistance.

“No, Louis, don’t come in, I-”

“Don’t be daft, let me- fuck!”

Louis shrieked loudly as he felt a strange burning sensation on top of his head, and he swallowed, certain he knew exactly what had happened. There were two very suspicious lumps underneath his (Harry’s) beanie now when he reached up to touch his sore head, and he walked quietly over to the mirror, about to pull his hat up when-

“Lou? Are you alright? Don’t come in, there’s glass everywhere-”

“I’m fine, just bumped my head. I’ll be there in a tick, be careful, you know you’re clumsy!”

Louis could hear the scraping of glass fragments then so he assumed Harry was clearing up, and it was safe to look. He gingerly rolled up the front of his beanie and grunted in frustration when he saw one of his ears protruding from his head. He patted it down gently before doing the same with the other. He felt annoyed that he still didn’t know why this was happening. His shifting seemed to be getting more and more out of control, and he hated that he didn’t have an explanation for any of this.

After double checking his reflection and making sure that there was no visible trace of his ears, Louis headed through to the kitchen, smiling at the sight of Harry on his hands and knees, a pink brush and dustpan in his hands. He wrinkled his nose as a strange scent hit him, and he stared down at his boyfriend.

“Bloody hell, that stinks! What the hell were you doing in here?”

“Uh… just, um, trying some new things for my candles?” Harry said, peering up at Louis from his position on the floor. “Just… let me clean up, okay? Go and sit down, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“You sure you don’t want a hand?”

“Positive. You look like the smell’s going to make you sick anyway.”

Louis just laughed and shrugged before he turned and walked away, making himself comfy on Harry’s large sofa. He pulled down the knitted blanket from the back of it, wrapping it around himself. He knew if he was in his cat form, he’d love the soft material under the pads of his paws, and he sighed again at having to hide who he really was from his boyfriend.

It was around ten minutes later that Harry finally made it into the living room, tugging off his stained shirt as he did so, baring his torso for Louis, who most definitely wasn’t complaining. He flopped down on the sofa next to Louis, who immediately turned to look at him, smiling softly at Harry’s beautiful face.

“Take this off, it’s-”

“No!” Louis shrieked, tugging the beanie back down, unsurprised to see Harry was a little shocked by Louis’ reaction. “No, I mean, I’m cold, it keeps me warm…”

“If you say so, you weirdo,” Harry shrugged, teasing Louis gently as he held out his arm so Louis could curl up into him. “Sorry about that, making a mess, I mean. I guess you startled me and I dropped something, then I stumbled into the table…”

“My little klutz,” Louis chuckled, tilting his head back for a quick kiss which Harry gave easily. “The people in your street are ridiculous, by the way. Bloody pumpkins are everywhere…”

“People enjoy Halloween, love,” Harry replied, fingertips stroking along the back of Louis’ neck now. “I know we don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the country doesn’t. Just ignore it, it’ll be over in a couple of days and then we can start looking forward to-”

Louis reached up and clamped his hand over Harry’s mouth, shaking his head.

“Don’t say it.”

“Christmas-” Harry said, his words still muffled behind Louis’ hand, but Louis could tell from his eyes that he was smiling. Louis removed his hand when Harry swiftly licked it, grimacing as he wiped it down on the blanket across his lap. “I mean, your birthday. Of course I meant your birthday, Lou.”

“That’s right. Louis day is the most important day in December. We celebrate that above and beyond all others.  _ All  _ others,” he said, arching at an eyebrow at Harry, who was clearly trying to hold back his laughter. “I’m coming round here on Halloween, and I’m not answering the door for stupid trick or treaters. I’ll leave it to you because no doubt you’ll be unable to resist…”

“They’re only kids, Lou! Let them have some fun!”

“Bah bloody humbug,” Louis huffed, sliding further down under the blanket, cringing when he felt his ear flick under his beanie. Thankfully, Harry’s attention was taken up by something on his phone and he hadn’t noticed, but Louis just hoped they’d disappear sooner rather than later. “Who you texting?”

“Gem. We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow since she’s in town. Can you make it?”

“Ah, I’m sorry love.” Louis shook his head regretfully, genuinely sad he couldn’t make it. Harry’s sister was a lovely woman, and Louis had enjoyed the past few times they’d got together for lunch or dinner. “I’m on a rehoming visit with Ally, it’s a good forty miles away so there’s no way I’ll be back.”

“That’s alright,” Harry grinned, leaning down to kiss Louis’s head making him wriggle uncomfortably at Harry’s proximity to his ears, “I understand. Oh! I dropped by earlier and saw the cutest little black cat! I gave him a cuddle and everything, Lou, wish you’d have been there!”

Louis just sat still and listened as Harry waxed lyrical about the cute little cat he’d seen that day, little knowing that very cat was practically sat in his lap now. How much longer this subterfuge could go on, Louis didn’t know.

**1 day to Halloween**

“Mum! Mum, look, it's a man witch!” 

Harry rolled his eyes and kept walking down the street, ignoring the excited chatter of children who were holding hands with their parents, enjoying the week off school. He quickened his pace slightly, knowing he was close to being late for his lunch with his sister, and if there was one thing Harry Styles was, it was punctual. Thankfully, the restaurant she’d chosen soon came into view, and Harry pulled off his black fedora as he stepped inside, holding it by the brim as he approached the maitre’d, looking around for his sister.

“Hi, I think my sister made a reservation, name of Styles?”

The man nodded and led the way, and Harry soon felt a grin spread across his face as he saw his sister already sat there waiting for him, texting someone on her phone. Her witchy senses must have kicked as he approached as she stood up, beaming back an identical grin to her brother.

“About time too, H,” she said as she pulled him into a tight hug. “Embracing the black, I see.”

Harry just sighed and took off his coat before he sat down. “You sound like Louis. Black’s flattering and I like it.”

“You realise it makes you look more witchy, right?”

“Yes, the whispered comments from about five kids as I walked here told me that,” he replied, opening his menu, the pair ordering their drinks when a young waitress approached. Harry’s phone pinged as he was perusing the lunch options, and when he saw Louis’ name on the screen, he couldn’t help himself. “Oh look at him,” he cooed as the picture of Louis with a dog in his arms lit up his phone. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone as animal mad as your Louis,” Gemma replied, smiling at the picture before Harry put it away, silencing the phone. “Anyway. How have you been little bro?”

“Honestly? Weird.”

Gemma sent Harry a curious look over the top of her menu then lowered it, giving him her full attention.

“Weird… how? Like… you’re pretty weird normally, Harry, let’s be honest. Are we talking super weird?”

Harry cleared his throat and leaned over the table a little, beckoning Gemma to come closer too so he could talk a little more quietly.

“Like my magic is going funky, weird. I’ve always been pretty good with it, you know? But lately, it’s started being odd… I can’t explain it.”

“Okay. Start from the beginning. Tell me what’s happened, maybe we can figure it out together.”

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, only sitting back for a second to accept his drink before they spoke again, keeping their voices low.

“So it’s nothing huge. Just stupid little things. I tried making my candles with magic, like I usually do, and it just went black and gloopy. I tried a few times, but the same thing kept happening. I threw it all out, in the end. Then I tried to enchant my knife to carve my pumpkin, but it ended up doing its own thing, completely ignoring the spell and guidelines I’d set out for it. Then yesterday…”

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face for a moment.

“I was brewing some potions. It was all going fine, but then as Lou came home, everything just jumped straight into the air and crashed to the floor. It was like it was bloody possessed or something, Gem. It went everywhere, and it stank as all the potions leaked together. I told Louis to stay away, told him I was doing something for my candles but… god, it was a disaster. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, Gem.”

“It does sound a bit peculiar,” Gemma agreed, a frown evident on her face. “I mean… has anything changed lately? You and Louis are in a good place?”

“The best,” Harry quickly agreed, smiling at the thought of how solid his and Louis’ relationship felt lately. “We’re good. Really good, actually. So it’s not my emotions or whatever you’re trying to pin it on.”

“Alright, calm down,” she chided, smiling at the waitress as she placed her salad in front of Gemma. “The only thing that comes to mind is Halloween. Oh, or familiars. They’re the only things I know of that can affect a witch’s magic. Have you been around any animal lately that could be your familiar?”

Harry thought about it for a moment as he spudded a few sweet potato fries onto his fork, twirling them around as his mind whirred with possibilities.

“Well, I popped over to the shelter the other day, but that’s nothing new… oh! I met a cat there. He was a little black thing with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen...”

“Is there a chance that cat could be your familiar?”

Harry shook his head.

“No. The problems with my magic started long before I met that cat. Shit, that would’ve been a good explanation…back to square one I guess.”

“We’ll figure it out, Haz, don’t worry,” Gemma smiled, patting Harry’s hand for a moment. She changed the subject, telling Harry all about work for a while, hearing about his in return while they ate. Harry loved lunches with his sister. She was the one person in the world (aside from his mum, of course) that he could be completely himself with, and part of him ached with a need to include Louis in that list. 

“Are you ever going to tell him?” Gemma asked suddenly, startling Harry, making him drop his fork loudly onto his now empty salad bowl. “Louis, I mean. About you.”

Harry’s belly swirled for a moment as he contemplated Gemma’s words. He knew in a way everything would be so much easier if he just came out with it, admitted to Louis he was a witch, that he could do magic. He could openly show off his talents to Louis, make their life easier with his magic, and that thought was definitely appealing.

“I just… I think he’d be okay with it, you know? Me being a witch.”

“Then go for it! Just tell him, Haz. You’ll feel so much better-”

“No. No, I can’t. I just can’t do it, Gem. That means admitting to him there’s a familiar out there for me that isn’t him… that we’re not meant to be. I can’t do that. I want him around for as long as I can have him. I know that’s selfish, I do. I just…” Harry shrugged, unable to say the words he’d not said to Louis yet to his sister. She, however, nodded knowingly, smiling softly at her brother.

“I understand, Harry. You have to do what’s right for you. But just… just be careful, okay? I’d hate for him to find out by accident rather than you being honest. Maybe if you told him, you’d make it work somehow?”

“Who knows? I wish things were different, I really do.” Harry sighed, pushing back from the table slightly, stretching his long legs. “Maybe it’ll all calm down soon.”

“I’m sure it will. Are you seeing him later?”

“Yeah, he said he’d swing by after work. He’s out on a visit for a rehoming now, you know how much he loves those.” Harry was well aware he was grinning again as he talked about Louis, unable to wipe the smile away. “You want to share a pudding, Gem?”

“Oh go on, then. And nothing with bloody pumpkin in it!” 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Harry stirred as he felt a pair of warm lips pressing against his forehead, and he slowly blinked, his eyes fluttering open and staring into the blue ones belonging to his favourite person in the whole world. He nuzzled into Louis’ touch, his hand cupping Harry’s cheek, and kissed his palm quickly.

“Hello, beautiful,” Louis whispered before he kissed Harry gently again, perching on the edge of the sofa. Harry shuffled backwards to make a bit of room, smiling up at Louis. “How was your lunch with Gem?”

“Yeah, good. Missed you though,” Harry rasped out, his voice still heavy with sleep. “Shit, I meant to be awake before you got home, sorry…”

“Don’t apologise. S’what days off are for, chilling out and napping.”

“I suppose. Did your rehoming go okay?”

Harry watched Louis’ face light up as he spoke about Bertie, the dog they’d rehomed into a new family earlier on, how the children of the family had happily run around with him, showing off the new doggy bed they’d bought specially, and how at home the dog looked now. He’d then opened his arms and Louis had laid down with him for a moment.

“You making us dinner tonight?” Louis asked after a while, making Harry laugh quietly to himself.

“Always thinking about your stomach, love,” Harry teased, wriggling his fingers under Louis’ jumper and stroking the soft skin of said stomach for a moment. “Yeah, I put a casserole in the slow cooker this morning. You want to eat soon?”

“Please. I think I’ll just jump in the shower first if that’s alright? Being stuck in a car for an hour with a stinky dog wasn’t the most fun…”

“Course, baby. You can grab some stuff from my drawers if you want.”

“Will do. I-” Louis cut himself off for a moment, biting on his bottom lip as he stared into Harry’s eyes, making Harry’s heart skip a beat. “I love being here with you, you know. Just… hanging out, the two of us, like this.”

Harry blinked back the sting of his tears at Louis’ emotional words. Usually, his boyfriend laughed off Harry’s soppy words so to hear him being so heartfelt meant the world, and he could only bring himself to nod before Louis got up, kissing Harry again quickly.

“I’ll be back.”

Harry reluctantly sat up, pulling the cosy blanket off his body as he did so. Louis’ shoes and socks were left by the coffee table as usual, and Harry stretched out, waving his hand to use his magic to straighten them up, watching the socks gently hover into the shoes before the Vans came to rest next to each other. 

“Perfect,” he muttered to himself, folding the blanket again. He wandered through to the kitchen and grabbed the bag of vegetables he’d bought at the market the other day from the cupboard. He could hear Louis stomping around upstairs, very heavy footed for such a tiny human. Harry figured he was safe to use his magic to speed along the process a little.

He laid out the peeler and knife next to the chopping board, and grabbed the string bag, emptying it onto the worktop. He sighed when he realised he didn’t have the carrots that he needed, having used them the other day for a meal, but he did have parsnips. Harry had transformed one vegetable into another plenty of times before, so he figured it would be fine, especially since Louis was safely upstairs.

Reaching into the drawer, Harry grabbed his wand and closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the target in his mind, and he gently started to wave his wand, muttering a low incantation. He could sense the magic in the air, the sensation pulsing through his hand into the wand but-

“FUCK!”

He heard Louis shriek upstairs followed by a loud crash, and Harry dropped his wand in fear, ignoring the mutated vegetable he left in his wake as he dashed upstairs to the rescue.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

As soon as Louis was up the stairs, he peeled off his clothes and shoved them into Harry’s laundry bin, knowing his boyfriend didn’t mind in the slightest doing his washing every now and then. He wandered unashamedly naked around the upstairs, grabbing a few of Harry’s clothes to get into after his wash, and finally went into the bathroom, flicking on Harry’s shower. 

Steam quickly filled the room and Louis looked over at the line of organic body washes Harry always seemed to stock up on, selecting a rather enticing purple-looking liquid this time. He popped it down on the edge of the bath and grabbed a towel from the wall-mounted radiator, setting it just within reach for when he got out of the shower, always hating to be cold. Maybe it was a cat thing, or maybe Louis just liked being warm and cosy, he wasn’t sure.

Fingers and toes tingling with anticipation of being under the hot water, Louis stepped inside the bath, pulling the curtain across behind him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting the water cascade down over him, over his face, his shoulders, dripping all the way down his legs. As nice as his flat was, Harry’s shower always won out for Louis, and he wouldn’t admit that he came to his boyfriend’s flat as much as he did not only to spend time with Harry (the main reason, of course), but to use his wonderful shower. It always helped that there was more than enough room for the two of them as well under the huge shower head.

Louis started humming a song he’d heard on the radio on the drive earlier that day as he reached for the bottle of shampoo, squirting a dollop into the palm of his left hand before he started working it through his hair, lathering up as he started to sing the few lyrics he remembered. As he rinsed, he felt a strange charge zip through his body and he stilled for a moment, gingerly reaching up to feel his head, relieved he didn’t feel any trace of his ears, and a touch of his nose didn’t reveal any sign of his whiskers either. 

Still, something felt a bit off as he grabbed the bottle of Harry’s body wash. It smelt heavenly, and Louis tried to use as little as possible, knowing it probably cost Harry a fortune from one of the hippy shops he apparently drove miles to visit, leaving Louis curled at home on the sofa (often in his feline form). There was a reason Harry was always finding cat hairs around his flat, especially when Louis had been left alone. He was just rinsing his underarms when all of a sudden, it felt like a string was being pulled out of his belly

“FUCK!”

With a sudden pop, Louis shifted. He was now stuck under the hammering torrent of water, perfectly lovely as a human, but entirely too much as a cat, and he meowed loudly in displeasure, hating water as much as any other cat. He hated how heavy his fur felt whenever he got wet, and this felt like a living hell. With an instinct that Louis wasn’t entirely expecting, he backed up and launched himself at the shower curtain, his claws digging into the flimsy fabric.

Louis tried not to panic as his wet body twisted and turned in the curtain, sending a cascade of bottles toppling to the inside of the bath with a loud clatter, startling Louis even more. He wriggled helplessly and all of a sudden, the curtain started to rip down from where it was hooked onto the rail. Instead of staying still, Louis flailed more, barely retracting his claws as the curtain finally fell to the floor, Louis wrapped inside it. Just as he slipped his head out of the wet mess, about to shake himself dry, he heard heavy footsteps up the stairs, and his eyes flew to the bathroom door.

“Louis? Are you alright?”

Louis let his feline eyes shut, and he willed himself back to his human form. He could feel the usual thrum of something within his bones, and kept his goal in mind, relieved that when he opened his eyes, he was naked, sprawled across the bathroom floor within the shower curtain and very much human.

“Louis, if you don’t say something, I’m coming in-”

Louis still felt a little dazed and out of it, rubbing his aching back where he’d shifted and landed heavily, and he wasn’t quite with it enough to reply to Harry because-

“I’m coming in, Lou-”

The door swung open and a red-faced Harry stumbled inside, eyes wide as they stared down at a very wet and very naked Louis laying on his bathroom floor.

“Oh my god- are you okay?! What happened?! I heard a thud, and I raced up here…”

Louis swallowed before he spoke, feeling a bit mortified to be caught like this by his boyfriend.

“Uh… I fell over?”

He knew he was stuttering, but instead of making Louis feel even more foolish than he already did, Harry just grabbed Louis’ towel and knelt down next to him, carefully extracting him from the curtain and covering him, eyes clouded in concern as he checked Louis from head to toe for injuries. Louis held his breath as Harry touched every part of him, praying that every single bit of his feline self had fully disappeared but it seemed thankfully, it had done.

“And the shower curtain...”

“Yeah, I, uh, I grabbed it to try and stop myself but it didn’t help…”

He was aware he was blushing furiously, and that he looked like a complete idiot but the look Harry was giving him now was one entirely of concern, and he allowed himself to relax a little in Harry’s hold, grateful that this was the worst Harry had seen. It really could’ve been so much worse, and that was all that Louis was keeping front and centre in his mind.

“Come on, up you get, sweetheart. You promise me you’re not hurt?”

“Just my pride. And my arse,” Louis mumbled as he allowed Harry to help him up off the floor. He just stood as Harry towel dried him off before he led him through to his bedroom, helping Louis into some of his clothes before he cupped his cheeks and kissed him gently. “What’s this for?”

“Don’t like it when you’re hurt,” Harry said against Louis’ lips, his thumb stroking along Louis’ stubbly jawline. “I feel like it’s my fault…”

“How is your fault my clumsy arse slipped and wrecked your bathroom?” Louis asked, frowning and feeling a little confused at Harry’s odd declaration. “I’ll pay for a new curtain and shit, Haz…”

“No you won’t. I’m not even thinking about that, Lou. You think I give a damn about a shower curtain when you’re a million times more important to me?”

Louis’ heart swelled at those words, and he snuggled closer into Harry’s body, grateful to call this man his own. Over Harry’s shoulder, Louis could see the street lit up in the darkness by a variety of pumpkins, and for once, they didn’t fill him with anger. He thought of the pumpkins he and Harry had made together that still sat outside his flat, and smiled to himself, realising any memories he made with Harry were ones to treasure, even if they were to do with the damned Halloween holiday.

“Alright, well, did you get dinner ready? I’m starving,” Louis grumbled as he pulled himself out of Harry’s embrace, looking up at his boyfriend.

“Oh. Uh… about that… I think we need to order in.”

**Halloween…**

“There you are, Liam. I hope you’re bloody happy. I was cosy and comfortable.”

“Well, I can’t talk to you properly when you’re a cat, can I?” Liam huffed, his large arms crossed over his chest as he looked at Louis with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. Usually, Louis would feel bad, but looking at Liam in his ridiculous dark angel costume made him want to do anything but be nice to his friend. Liam had turned up an hour ago in his costume, ready to head out trick or treating with Sophia and her younger cousins, and Louis was grateful to have been in his feline form or he was sure he’d have wet himself with laughter. “And will you stop smirking at me?”

“Do you have  _ any idea _ how ridiculous you look?” Louis asked, not for the first time that night. “You’re a fucking angel for Halloween!”

“Hey! I’m a dark angel, okay? Like a fallen angel. It’s more manly.” Liam frowned, looking down at the outfit he’d spent too much money on. “I thought it looked good.”

“Twat, Liam. You look like a twat,” Louis reminded him as he sloped off out of the room, flicking the kettle on as Liam followed him. “You want a cuppa?”

“Yeah, alright then. You want me to drop you at Harry’s when I head out?”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” Louis replied, quickly making two mugs of tea and handing Liam one. The pair took them back into Louis’ sitting room, snuggling down on the sofa, Louis drawing a blanket over his legs. However, the closer Louis got to Liam, the more he found himself distracted by the feathers of Liam’s wings, something switching in his brain over to the more cat-like side, and he reached out, batting at a few with his hands until he saw Liam giving him a strange look.

“Louis. LOUIS. Stop playing with my wings. Louis!”

“What? Oh. Sorry, I can’t fucking help it, Liam. The bloody feathers are distracting, what with me being a  _ bloody cat _ and all-”

Liam sniggered at that, and Louis just rolled his eyes, sipping from his tea.

“Louis?”

“Yes, Li?”

“Why are your pumpkins either side of your telly?”

“Because, Liam, I don’t want people coming around here trick or treating. That bloody doorbell does my head in at the best of times, and I’m really not in the fucking mood for that shit today.”

“Jesus, what the hell has got up your arse?” Liam snapped, glaring at Louis now.

“Well, not Harry last night,” Louis spat back, hating how he was mentally reliving what had happened the night before. “I managed to make a fucking twat of myself, so he treated me like some delicate little flower all night long.”

“Right, and your problem is....”

“Sometimes a man just needs a good fuck, Liam,” Louis said with a roll of his eyes, shifting his position slightly so he was facing his best friend now. “So yeah, that didn’t happen, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never live down what happened.”

“What  _ did  _ happen?”

Liam’s curiosity was piqued, but in a way, Louis felt grateful to be able to talk about it with someone. He’d had a day off work so he hadn’t been able to talk to Ally about his unexplained sudden shifting, and his Mum was away with her husband, and there was no way Louis was bothering her on her much needed break with his nonsense.

“Uh… so. I’ve been having a few… issues, we could say…”

“Louis, I don’t want to hear about your sex life- ow!”

“Don’t be a prat,” Louis chided, laughing at Liam rubbing his sore ankle where he’d kicked him. “Not sex. I never have issues with that. I’m  _ amazing _ at sex. Anyway. I was at Harry’s, taking a shower before dinner and I… shifted?”

“Oh shit. Did he see you?”

“No. But the weird thing, Liam, is that I didn’t want to shift. It just happened. And because I was a cat and in the shower, I freaked out and ended up launching myself at the curtain, and I ended up tangled up in it and I pulled it down. I just managed to shift back when Harry burst in and found me naked on the floor and inside his shower curtain- don’t laugh, you complete arsehole!”

“I’m s-sorry-” Liam stuttered out, holding his belly now, he was laughing so hard. “You just-”

He was now completely lost in his laughter, and Louis just huffed, moving away from Liam on the sofa, desperately trying to not be distracted by the feathers again, although his fingers kept twitching with a need to pounce on them. 

“Some bloody best friend you are. I could’ve brained myself, and you’d just be laughing and taking the piss.”

“Well, you clearly didn’t,” Liam said, wiping his eyes. “What the hell did you tell Harry?”

“That I slipped,” Louis shrugged, slipping his feet under Liam’s thigh. “He seemed to believe it but… I dunno. It felt weird. Like there was something in the air when I shifted. I can’t explain it, but honestly, it’s just getting worse. It’s getting out of control, literally.”

“So you’re gonna tell Harry, right?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

Liam sighed and lifted his hands in exasperation. Louis knew it was hard to understand, but there was just a part of him that still couldn’t bring himself to reveal everything to Harry. Not yet, anyway.

“I’ll think about it. But not now. I just want to chill at my boyfriend’s house tonight and ignore this whole stupid holiday to be honest.”

Liam just nodded, gulping down the rest of his tea before he stood up, rolling his shoulders, making a feather fall from his wings to the floor. Louis’ eyes zoomed in on it, and his cat reflexes wanted to pounce on it, but as always, he had no urge to shift, not like he’d felt last night in the shower just before it had happened. None of it made any sense, and Louis was getting more fed up. 

Louis collected a few of his things together, flinging them into his rucksack before he and Liam left, Louis just happy he’d have an excuse to throw the pumpkins out when he got home the following day. Harry had been working late, which is why he’d hung out at home until Liam had popped over, but now, he just wanted Harry to hug him, and to watch trashy movies together all night with his boyfriend.

The car ride over to Harry’s place was amusing, with Liam refusing to remove his wings for the duration, which meant Louis spent most of it with the edge of the wing poking him in the face, the temptation to play with the feathers almost overwhelming by the time Liam pulled up at the kerb. Already, Louis could see groups of children in the distance, dressed in their finest costumes and going door to door for Trick or Treating. He thanked Liam and waved him off before hurrying up Harry’s path, not bothering to knock before he barged inside, thankful that Harry’s house was warm as always.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

Harry’s head snapped up as he heard the front door open, smiling to himself as he realised Louis had finally arrived. He’d had the day from hell at work, half of the medicines he was asked to dispense to patients being out of stock, and he’d been yelled at by irate people one too many times. Harry had had to sneak off for a break before his magic did something due to the frustration flooding his veins. Louis was the perfect cure for his bad mood, and he hurried through the house, not stopping until Louis was in his arms, holding him into his chest and inhaling the familiar and comforting scent of his man.

“Happy Halloween,” he murmured into Louis’ hair, laughing when small and nimble fingers dove under his black shirt tickling his sides, Louis’ scoff almost louder than Harry’s own laughter. “Alright, alright-”

“Say it,” Louis demanded, pausing in his tickling for a moment, gazing deeply into Harry’s eyes.

“Halloween is- no, not my groin- p-please!”

“Say it then.”

“Halloween is shit. It’s shit, fucking stop it, Louis!”

Harry let out a burst of laughter in relief as Louis’ fingers finally disappeared, and he leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Louis was still scowling at him but he could see a twinkle of mirth in those beautiful blue eyes, and Harry couldn’t help himself for opening his arms, relieved when Louis barrelled into them again.

“No more Halloween talk, okay?”

Louis nodded against Harry’s chest and reached down, tangling their fingers together. Without speaking, they broke the hug, wandering through to Harry’s living room and collapsing on the sofa. Louis quickly tucked his feet up under himself, leaning into Harry’s warmth as always, and Harry stroked his boyfriend’s hair absentmindedly, loving how soft and silky it always was.

“So, how was- oh, hold on.”

Harry smiled to himself as the doorbell rang, and he realised this was the start of the whole evening of trick or treating. He hurried through to the hall and grabbed the basket of sweets he’d bought earlier, pulling open the door and grinning at the toddlers stood in front of him, holding hands, parents lined up behind them.

“Trick or treat?” they screeched, and Harry’s heart flipped with how cute they looked. It was a boy and a girl, the girl in a black velvety cat costume, the boy next to her dressed as a witch, complete with a pretty dress. The two fathers stood behind them looked proud as punch, and Harry crouched down, wanting to be more on their level, especially since he often enjoyed wearing his sister’s dresses when he was that age too. 

“Well, it’s definitely a treat! You two look wonderful, well done!”

They gave him cute little grins, and he handed them each a few sweets, watching as they dropped them into their pumpkin buckets, eyes wide as they whispered words of thanks before running away and giggling to themselves. Harry closed the door and went back to Louis, surprised to find his boyfriend at the window, watching the toddlers he’d just finished talking to.

“Cute, aren’t they?”

Louis span around, a slight blush on his cheeks, but Harry knew Louis had felt fond watching those children.

“Spose so, if you think cliche costumes are cute.”

“I do. Especially when they’re on three year olds, Lou. Just… chill out, okay? I promised you no more Halloween, and I’m going to stick to that.”

Louis nodded and sat back down on the sofa, flicking through the TV channels with the remote. Harry soon joined him, resting his feet in Louis’ lap this time. The evening passed by quite quickly, and the doorbell rang countless times until Harry was out of sweets, Louis still pouting as he hadn’t got any himself.

“Haz, can you put that ugly lamp on? Big light’s too bright.”

“I will, but quit calling that lamp ugly, Lou. That was my grandmother’s, you know that.”

“I do know that, but I also know it’s ugly.”

“Mean,” Harry muttered under his breath as he stood up to cross the room, the lamp balanced on a table. Louis also got up, and came to stand just beside Harry, perusing his selection of boxsets as Harry reached out, muttering a quick spell to make the lamp turn on, given it was bewitched by his grandmother only to allow witches to turn it on and off.

“Shall I turn off the big light?”

“Please-”

However, instead of light, the room was suddenly plunged into complete darkness. There was a strange almost animal like noise next to Harry and he cursed, his foot nudging something soft which made him squeal and run to where the sofa was, launching on it.

“Louis! Where- what the fuck was that?”

Harry paused, his heart racing in his chest as he heard what he thought was a cat meowing, but he was surely mistaken. There was no sign of Louis, and Harry stayed where he was for a moment to calm himself down before he got up, gingerly padding across the room to the lamp, muttering an incantation again, this time filling the room with the soft yellow glow of the old bulb. Everything seemed normal aside from the fact Louis had apparently vanished into thin air. For a moment, Harry’s mind started whirring, wondering if it was Louis playing some sort of crazy Halloween trick on him, but he soon pushed that aside, panic now setting in.

He frowned as he looked to the floor, seeing a pile of Louis’ clothes left there, but no sign of his boyfriend. Harry stood up and listened out for any sign of Louis. He tiptoed around the ground floor of his house, going so far as to open all of the kitchen cupboards in his search for Louis, but it was to no avail. He then crept through to the bottom of the stairs, almost scared to go upstairs. Just as he stepped onto the bottom stair, he heard a drawer slide shut in his bedroom and he sighed in relief, sure that must be Louis getting some clothes. He followed the sound and rapped his knuckles on the door before he stepped inside, seeing Louis look up at him sheepishly, now covered in one of Harry’s too-big hoodies, and some leggings that did nothing to hide his legs.

“Babe? Why did you just get undressed in my living room and leave the clothes on the floor?”

“Uh… I got scared of the dark.”

Louis’ face held a guilty expression, but Harry wasn’t about to say anything, not when tonight was strange enough as it was. He knew it was his magic that had caused the blackout, and he made a silent vow to himself not to use any more magic for now. He let himself take in Louis’ outfit choice and he laughed, about to walk over and put his hands on Louis’ hips when he slipped past Harry, out into the hallway.

“Louis?”

“I need a drink!”

Harry just sighed and followed his boyfriend to the kitchen, watching him open the fridge, deciding what to drink. He must have spotted something as he stood on his tiptoes and stretched to reach, and Harry saw a bulge in the leggings from where he was stood.

“Louis, Louis, Louis...” he mumbled, walking over and smirking to himself before he reached out, letting his fingertips graze over Louis’ hip. “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?”

He let his fingers tuck in the waistband of Louis’ leggings, about to delve inside like he’d done countless times when-”

“No!” Louis shrieked, but it was too late. Harry had touched it, and that most certainly didn’t feel like the erection he’d felt in his hand many times before. “Shit-”

Harry swallowed and grabbed it in his hand, pulling up until what appeared to be a tail appeared from Louis’ leggings, long and black, sleek and soft feeling.

“What the…”

“It’s not what it looks like-” Louis blurted out, smacking Harry’s hand away, his tail dropping down beside his thigh. Harry could see the red spots on Louis’ cheeks as he rambled on and on, Harry not believing a word of it. “It’s, uh, it’s part of my costume, I swear-”

“But you hate Halloween, Louis. Try again.”

“Shit, oh fuck-” Louis was panicking now, his eyes wide as he grabbed his tail, trying to tuck it back inside and out of sight. “I should’ve told you, I know I should, but… fuck! I’ve ruined everything. I didn’t want you to find out what I am like this because now you know I can’t be yours, that I can’t be, not properly-”

“Louis, what do you mean? You’re- what are you?!”

“I-I’m a shifter, Harry. And you’re a human, which means we aren’t destined for each other. I’m someone else’s familiar, but there was something about you I just couldn’t say goodbye to… I’m so sorry, I was selfish, I didn’t want to-nrgh-”

Harry cut him off with a kiss, pressing their lips together roughly enough that Louis had to stop talking. He didn’t expect the lightening bolt he felt go off in his belly when they kissed, but judging by the way Louis jolted in his arms, he’d felt it too. When he felt Louis relax under his hands, Harry pulled away, hoping that what he would say next would make everything okay.

“Louis… we’re both idiots.”

“We are?” Louis asked, biting on his lower lip. “How so?”

“You’re a shifter. A cat, I assume, judging by that beautiful tail. But… there’s something I haven’t told you about me.”

Harry decided to just go for it, and he whispered something quickly, gesturing to the line of candles on his windowsill, setting them alight one by one in a mesmerising dance of flames.

“Holy shit…”

“I’m a witch, Louis. I’m not a human, or at least I am, as much as you are. And judging by what I just felt when I kissed you, and how my magic just worked… you’re mine. My familiar, I mean. We’re meant to be, Louis.”

“You! You’re the fucking reason I’ve been shifting for the past week!” Louis suddenly yelled, and Harry took a step back, not used to Louis being quite so animated. “I was trying to work out why I’ve been losing control, and it’s you! It’s like your magic and my cat side knew we were holding back, and tried to make us be honest. Shit…”

“Probably,” Harry shrugging, getting closer to Louis. “Would explain why my magic’s been going funky too. I’ve been struggling to do even basic shit when you’re around. Louis… are you happy?”

Louis answered that by jumping up, folding his legs around Harry’s waist, his arms laying around Harry’s neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as a big smile finally crossed his face.

“You know what this means, right?” Louis asked, a wicked expression flashing across his face for a moment, and Harry just shook his head, eager to hear what Louis was about to come out with. “It means, Harold, I get to shift and curl up in your lap like I’ve always wanted. I do love a good bit of petting when I’m a cat.”

“Um, excuse me, who’s been petting you?” Harry asked, suddenly feeling irrationally jealous that other people had had their hands on his boyfriend, albeit unwittingly.

“Liam. Ally. Uh… me mum. And… you?”

“Me?!” Harry was practically squeaking by now, but he couldn’t quite get over Louis’ latest revelation. “How the fuck have I been petting you when I just- oh my GOD! That was you! At the shelter!”

“Yeah,” Louis chuckled, rubbing his cheeks for a moment before he clasped his hands in front of him. “I shift there a lot, I feel comfortable, and the animals like it. So when you came in… it’s the first time you’ve come over when I’ve been a cat, and I couldn’t resist…”

“You’re… shit, you’re beautiful as a cat, Lou. You were so small and cuddly…”

“I like a good cuddle, what can I say?”

Harry suddenly looked down at his feet, nervous to ask what he wanted to but he knew he had to do it.

“Will you do it for me? Shift, I mean? I want to see you properly as you really are.”

“You sure?”

Harry just nodded and watched as Louis started to undress himself, stripping down until he was bare. He could see Louis was nervous from the way he kept playing with his fingers, and he wished there was something he could to calm his boyfriend down.

“I, um, I haven’t really done this in front of anyone before, so bare with me, okay?”

Just as Louis shut his eyes, readying to shift, Harry interrupted, stepping forward and grabbing Louis’ wrist, breaking his focus for a moment.

“It’s okay if you don’t want-”

“No. No, it’s not that. I want to see you do this, more than anything. Just…”

He swallowed, something settling inside him like this was right. He and Louis were each others, and he was never more sure that Louis was his familiar. Louis was, without doubt, his missing piece.

“I love you, Lou.”

Louis just blinked at him for a moment, his mouth dropping open in surprise. Harry didn’t feel nervous, though. He didn’t mind if Louis didn’t say it back, but he had to say it. Louis had to know how he felt, and it felt right to just say it right now.

“I… I’ve wanted to say it for a while but, well, I held back because I knew I wasn’t giving you the whole of me. But now I am, I can say it. And I do, Louis. I love you so much. So, so much.”

“Fuck-”

Louis surged forwards and crashed their lips together, and Harry could almost feel the electricity crackling between them. His hands found Louis’ waist as they kissed, Louis’ hands on his face, and it was everything, the most special kiss they’d ever shared without a doubt. Louis broke the kiss first, staring deeply into Harry’s eyes, his own shining with tears.

“I love you, Harry Styles.”

They both smiled broadly, unable to hold it back now. Harry’s heart felt like it was going to explode, it felt so full, and he could feel a tingle in each of his fingers, his magic dancing around happily in his veins now he’d found his familiar. Harry’s hands slipped down and cupped Louis’ bare arse, making him squeak and press against Harry a little more.

“Oi. If you want me to shift, you need to quit that…”

“Sorry, baby.”

“Alright. So… don’t freak out, okay? And be nice to me.”

“I couldn’t be anything but, Lou. Go ahead, sweetheart. Need me to do anything?”

Louis just shook his head and rolled his shoulders for a moment, shaking out his arms too. Harry’s heart was racing now with the anticipation of what he was going to see, since he knew seeing a person shift was an intimate experience, and one usually reserved only for the eyes of their familiar. The fact Louis trusted Harry with this meant the world, and it was magical to see it happen in front of his eyes. One minute, Louis was there in his human body, all gorgeous curves and tanned skin, and the next stood a small cat looking up at Harry, wide eyed and trusting as he padded slowly over to Harry.

Harry crouched down, almost holding his breath as Louis approached, his tail in the air, ears pointed and alert. He tenderly reached out, his fingers making contact with Louis’ soft fur for a moment, and he felt content. Louis nuzzled into Harry’s touch, putting a paw up to rest on Harry’s thigh for a moment, their eyes locking. 

“Can I… can I cuddle you, Lou?”

Louis let out a soft meow and Harry gently extended his hands, taking Louis under his front legs and tucked the other under his soft tummy, lifting him up against his chest. Louis was clearly trusting and comfortable because he didn’t struggle, and his face buried into Harry’s neck, a soft tongue making contact with his neck for a moment.

“Oh, Louis… you’re so beautiful like this, baby,” Harry whispered, stroking the top of Louis’ head for a moment. He walked slowly over to the sofa and sat down, using his free hand to pull a blanket onto his lap before he lowered Louis onto it, watching him burrow around and settle down, curled into a ball on Harry’s thighs. As Harry stroked down his back, feeling Louis’ spine all the way to the tip of his tail, he purred, his body rumbling now and Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

He sat there for what felt like forever, just petting Louis and enjoying the closeness this afforded them, feeling linked to Louis in a way he hadn’t ever before, even when they had sex with each other. This was different, and Harry loved every second of it.

If they fell asleep together like that, Louis curled on Harry’s lap, Harry’s hand gently resting on his back… well, no one else needed to know.

**6 months later**

Harry opened the front door to his- no, his and Louis’ house now, he reminded himself, smiling at the reminder. It was spring now, and Harry flung his coat over the bannister, the April sun making it too warm for that. Louis’ shoes were scattered along the skirting board, but Harry still placed his neatly under the coats, listening out for any sign of his boyfriend.

“Lou? You home, baby?”

Instead of Louis yelling back like he usually did, there was a creak of a door from upstairs, and Harry smiled at the sight of a feline Louis appearing at the top of the staircase, waiting there and staring at Harry for a moment. He sat up tall and yawned before he stood onto all four legs again, carefully walking down the stairs until he stood near Harry’s feet, gazing up at him.

“Hey, love. Having a nap on the bed again, were we?”

Harry bent down and picked Louis up, cuddling him close to his chest as he walked through the house, mumbling magic to light the candles dotted around on various surfaces. Ever since Harry had found about Louis being a shifter, and Louis found out Harry was a witch, their dynamics had changed massively. Harry had enjoyed showing Louis the extent of his magic, and had involved Louis as much as he could, his boyfriend always in awe whenever he showed him something new. It was freeing to be able to completely be himself around Louis now, and he knew Louis loved being able to shift around Harry now too.

In fact, it was more often than not that Harry came home to Louis in his feline form, curled up on their sofa in a patch of sunlight coming through the window, or on the end of their bed on the cashmere throw Harry had bought him for Christmas. Louis had thanked him all night long for that particular gift. Harry often had to plead with Louis to shift back to his human form so they could chat, but at the same time, he embraced Louis being a cat when he needed to be. Knowing Louis was his familiar was everything to Harry, and it had solidified their relationship in every single way.

“I’ll get on with dinner in a bit, but I need a cuddle first,” Harry admitted, laying down on their large sofa, resting Louis’ body on his chest. Louis purred as Harry tickled his fur softly, threading his fingers through it as he chatted about his day. He loved his job as a pharmacist, but there were days it was just long and rough, and today had been such a day. However, coming home to Louis always made things better, and he knew Louis always listened to everything he had to say, even as a cat. 

Harry stopped talking after a while, and he was sure Louis had fallen asleep. He reached for his phone from his pocket and text his mum, promising that he and Louis would come over for Sunday lunch at the weekend, and he smiled to himself at the thought of the news they’d hopefully have to share by then. Gently, Harry lifted Louis’ sleeping form and got up, placing Louis back down on a blanket and pressing a quick kiss to his head. Harry used his magic to dim the lights in the room slightly and to pull the curtains together, darkening the room slightly.

He went upstairs, getting out of the work clothes he’d been in all day - all black, as usual, and slipped on a Rolling Stones t-shirt Louis had given him for his last birthday and some comfy joggers. He smiled fondly at the sight of the little dip in the blanket neatly laid out on their end of their bed, covered in black fur where Louis had been napping earlier, and he picked it up, shaking it off and replacing it for later on. Sure that Louis was still asleep, Harry slid open the bottom drawer of his bedside table and reached to the back, grabbing the small green velvet box laid there.

He pulled it out and cracked it open, admiring the two things laid inside, his heart racing as he realised he wanted to do it right now. He didn’t want there to be a reason for this other than he loved Louis to the moon and back, and wanted forever with him. That was always going to be enough for the pair of them. He crept back downstairs and knelt next to Louis’ sleeping form, placing the box on the floor next to his knee.

“You’ll never know how much I love you, Lou,” he began, opening it and taking the tag and collar out of it, popping open the small blue plastic clasp. “I hope this goes a little way to telling you how much you mean to me.”

Carefully, he reached out and wrapped the soft collar around Louis’ neck, sliding it under him and arranging it so the tag was away from his face so he wouldn’t hurt himself. He was aware Louis wouldn’t see it or read the inscription until he shifted back to his human form, but it didn’t matter. Harry needed Louis to know he loved him in both ways, and he wanted this with all versions of Louis. He snapped a quick photo, admiring the words he’d had etched by hand the other day on the small silver tag, and stood up, leaving his boyfriend alone and slipping the box with the second part of the gift into his pocket.

With just a glance back at his sleeping boyfriend, Harry headed off to make dinner, hoping that Louis would wake up sooner rather than later. He just had to know what Louis’ answer would be.

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

“Louis… Louis, love, it’s dinner time soon. You want to go and shift back, get dressed?”

Louis cracked one eye open and stretched his body, claws popping from the ends of his paws as he yawned widely. He just blinked slowly at Harry before he got to his feet, and leapt deftly from the sofa, circling Harry’s legs for a moment, letting his tail curl around his calf for a second.

“Go on, off you go. I’ll set the table.”

Harry blew Louis a kiss, and the feline just watched him walk away, shaking out his fur for a moment. There was a strange feeling around his neck and Louis batted at whatever it was with his paw, unsure what had happened while he’d been asleep. He mewed lightly and decided to run upstairs to shift, wanting to get dressed again straight away. Sometimes, he shifted where he was, sneaking off to get dressed later, but right now, he wanted to get cosy before dinner.

He pounced up the stairs at speed, claws digging into the carpet as he did so, skidding to a halt and running into his and Harry’s bedroom, the door left open earlier by Harry. Louis closed his eyes and focused on shifting, startled to feel something go flying off his body as he stretched to his full height - 5’ 9’’, and he wouldn’t hear any different. He grabbed some boxers from the pile of clothes Harry had clearly left out for him earlier before his eyes raked around the carpet for whatever it was had been on him.

“Where is it?” he muttered, and saw something glinting just under the corner of the bed. He dropped to his knees and reached out, grabbing the end of it with his fingers. He sat back on his haunches and squinted down at the object, a cat collar with a little silver tag attached. It was bright blue, and Louis could imagine how the collar stood out against his fur. What he didn’t understand, though, was why he had a collar on.

He gripped the little tag in his hand, seeing one side of it was shiny and glinted in the bedroom light, but when he turned it over-

“Oh my god-” Louis gasped, his other hand flying to cover his mouth. His whole body was shaking now, taking in the words inscribed into the metal, something Harry must have put on him while he slept.

_ Will you marry me, Lou? _

Slowly, Louis raised to his feet, needing to find Harry and some answers. He stayed in just his boxers, unable to contemplate even getting dressed now as he sloped out of the room in a daze, the collar still in his hands. Louis honestly hadn’t really thought about marriage yet, but now he’d seen that Harry had wanted to propose to him, he wanted nothing more than to be Harry’s husband. His hands started to shake again, and he wiped down his sweaty palms on the legs of his boxers before he followed the sound of Harry singing along to the radio in the kitchen.

Instead of making his presence known, Louis just stood silently and watched Harry dance around the kitchen as he prepared whatever he was doing. He stood at the worktop swaying to his hips to a song no-one but himself could hear, his magic working at chopping something on the worktop opposite while Harry stirred something in a pan, happy in his work. Louis couldn’t stop the fond smile crossing his face at that, loving how Harry was so unapologetically himself, and he felt grateful he got to be a part of this man’s world, even in just a small way.

“ _ The world could show nothing to me, so what good would living-  _ oh, Louis, don’t do sneak up like that!”

Harry had his hand over his heart now, a wide dimpled smile on his face now but he stilled when he saw what Louis was still clutching in his right hand. 

“You found it, then.”

Louis just nodded, his mouth suddenly too dry to speak, eyes starting to feel wet as Harry walked nearer. Harry bit his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment, stopping just in front of Louis, their toes almost touching.

“I just… Louis. I…”

He didn’t speak any further. Louis just watched with wide eyes as Harry reached into his pocket, pulling something out before he sank to one knee, taking Louis’ left hand and looking up at him, his green eyes shining with happiness.

“Louis, I’d be honoured to be able to call you my husband. And I know how much you love to be a cat when we’re home, which is why I got the collar as well as a ring, so you can wear it however you choose to be. But either way… I choose you, Louis. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So… will you marry me, Louis?”

Louis hurriedly swallowed down the lump in his throat, nodding frantically.

“Yes. Yes! Harry, of course, yes. Oh my god…”

He watched, tears tumbling down his cheeks as Harry took the silver ring from the box and slid it down Louis’ ring finger, pushing it into place. It looked right somehow, and Louis reached down, tugging on Harry’s shirt until he stood up in front of him, crashing their lips together, the collar still clutched in his right hand.

“We’re getting married,” Harry whispered against Louis’ lips when they parted from the kiss, both grinning widely now, and all of a sudden, Louis’ feet left the floor, Harry spinning him in a circle, Louis throwing his head back in laughter, his arms looped around Harry’s neck. “You’re going to be my husband.”

“And you’ll be mine,” Louis replied, kissing Harry again. “The ring is beautiful, my love. And I love the collar… you really do think of everything, don’t you?”

“I do for the people I love,” Harry shrugged, setting Louis back down on his feet again, taking his left hand and kissing the ring that lay there. “I just… I can’t wait to marry you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Harry, so much.”

“My beautiful little kitten, aren’t you?” Harry teased, leaning in and rubbing their noses together making Louis pull back, glaring up at his new fiancé.

“Oi, enough of the little! I’ve got sharp claws and I know how to use ‘em!”

_ END. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. x
> 
> Tumblr post can be found [here if you wish to share](https://chloehl10.tumblr.com/post/188684004211/spellbound-now-on-ao3-words-22443-rating). Thank you.


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